Oh Vodka, a good friend of mine too.

 

I'm not as familiar with is as I am what is in the proposed JCBA but I am aware the it is still a huge win for QOL and a much better compensation. Soft pay is a smoke and mirrors technique. 1 dollar an hour in compensation is worth a lot more than a couple hundred a year in soft pay. And with mesaba's contract, colgan stands to see 5-7 dollar an hour increases. No soft pay will possibly compare to that.

 

And you're banking on being merged with XJ because PNCL management said it would be that way?

That's pretty funny.

 

Soft pay is hardly a smoke and mirrors technique. I would argue that payrates are all smoke and mirrors.

Colgan still stands to see significant pay increases in the range you spoke of ($5-7), so I'm not quite sure what you are up in arms about... other than MSA guys didn't want to take a paycut so we could see more of a payraise.

 

what makes you think colgan will get relative senority? 500 pilots into 2400, i dont think so.

 

I don't really know how they will do this, I've looked at the seniority list fairly closely and you really can't use one method or another and make it fair.

I do think that the top half of Colgans list will get some bumps up the SLI though because of their relative seniority.

 

Oh...didn't you get the memo? Never mind the details...just vote YES

Just curious...how many Saab pilots does XJ have? What would be the REAL financial impact of bringing all Saab pilots up to Mesabas pay scale? I thought ALPA has a financial division that dissects the numbers to make sure the proposals are financially viable...no?

 

I'm going off what is written in the mesaba contract that ALPA wrote. If it isn't strong enough to hold up in court then why even bother and what is the point of any contract.

Compensation is the bread and butter of any contract. It is where the vast majority of the money you will get comes from. Hardly smoke and mirrors. Soft pay isn't something you will see much of. A few hundred a year and you're doing well. I'll take a dollar or two bump in compensation over any soft pay provisions.
Especially since I keep hearing the argument that the saabs are on their way out. If they won't be there in a few years then there is no reason to not have parity amongst all.

And the 74 seat plane getting $20,000 less than a 76 seat plane seems to be lost on a lot of people. How can one justify that other then saying props have always been payed less so they will always be payed less. This mentality needs to go far far away

 

There is nothing in XJs contract that keeps PNCL management from operating the 3 airlines as separate entities.

PNCL management is the one that stated the plans for 2 certificates.

And if this TA fails who knows what direction they could take things.

All I'm saying is don't bank on XJ rates that you don't have.

 

With gas prices climbing, the company is going to make money with the Q. And the Q fleet is where a lot of growth will be. Here and now is the time to fight for this, not in 5 years...or 11 years in Pinnacle terms.