Or we could be smart and drag out the contract for a couple of years. Why are we in a rush to merge when the only ones that will benefit from the synergies are the Skywest management team? If they want it done fast, they're going to have to bring some big carrots to the table. I doubt they will, and we're not willing to give up anything in our contract, in fact we want improvements.

It's actually humorous to watch Skywest management realize they've bitten more than they can chew!

 

Thats where your wrong. The same pilots that got mad at your MEC for not putting anything out also got mad at our MEC because ASA had sheltered xjt pilots from the street and there wasn't any reciprocity. So our MEC made it happen because furloughs were a very real possibility. Delta pulled airplanes and if there isn't enough attrition then there will be furloughs... that isnt fear mongering. It is the truth.

Maybe I am confused but are you mad that our MEC brought up the possibility of furloughs? Management made it very clear that furloughs were being considered before XJT's MEC ever got involved with changing the MOU. If furloughs were being considered they needed to be prepared for it. It might have thrown you guys into a panic but you should have been panicked well before then. The loss of the airplanes, management emails hinting at furloughs, and the eery quiet from your MEC were all good reasons to freak out. The fact that you now had a job vs hitting the street should have calmed the hysterics down a bit if anything.

Pointing fingers does nothing but I understand that people are stressed out about losing their jobs. Our MEC didn't do anything wrong and did in fact try to help. If they panicked you then you probably should have already been panicked from the information right in front of you.

 

So Joe says the XE MEC 'jumped the gun' by saying there would be furloughs on the ASA side? Kind of like how Joe just jumped the gun saying there WON'T be any furloughs?

Maybe everyone should just wait for official info.

 

This is false. There was no loa needed to bring back voluntary furloughs. The mou negotiated and agreed to by management and the MEC is to facilitate ASA furloughs coming to XJT. Management wouldn't approach, negotiate, and agree to a change in our contract unless they thought this was necessary. Like I said, the MEC didn't just wake up one day, make this up, and unilaterally change our contract.

 

What I am referring to and am not wrong about is ASA MOU #62 and Express Jet MOU #18, both of which you have access to and both of which were dated September of 2010. Are you claiming that the company, while it was hiring for the ASA side only, looked a year into the future and foreknew they would be thinking about furloughing the pilots the just hired? We're not talking about one day, we're talking about MOUs negotiated by both pilot groups LAST YEAR.

 

Personally, I'm not mad at anyone - I'm just stating as fact that the email the ExpressJet MEC sent out was poorly worded. As for panicking, again, welcome to the company!! We're opening a MEM base, we're not opening a MEM base, we need to evaluate staffing because we're under/over staffed, the sky is falling and it's all the pilots' fault! Our collective management pulls this BS all the time and most of us are used to it.

As for reciprocity, as near as I can tell from the dates MOU#62 on the ASA side and MOU #18 on the Express Jet side were done the same month last year, so why would anyone be mad?

BTW guys, ASA is not furloughing.

 

Wrong again. Those MOUs were to facilitate the XJT furloughs going to ASA as part of the transition and process agreement. MOU 25, which you have access to, is the reason for the MEC email explaining it and was passed a day before the email was sent. That MOU is to facilitate ASA furloughs going to XJT.

 

I have read that more carefully and I see that I am wrong. Also, I don't have access to your MOU 25 - our company only has up to MOU 19 from your side for public access and ALPA only allows access to the ASA contract.

I'm more curious now if the company might be playing the two MECs against each other. Why were MOUs done by each side last year but not this year? Why are there two different stories coming from each MEC about the possibility of furloughs at ASA?

 

There is not two stories coming out... There is the truth from the xjet mec and silence/bs from ours.

"Experience" is the same reason congress has a 9% approval rating. They are content to hang out and collect their 6 hour min days.

 

As of 2 weeks ago ASA MEC was saying furloughs. Obviously XJT's MEC knew what they were talking about. Perhaps something has now changed, perhaps not........