BHopper88

You mean the expressjet 70 seat rate that they negotiated without the ASA MEC. Yea that sure helped everyone out by raising the bar.

So if Skywest gets a higher rate, who is riding whose coat tails. Funny how some can pick and chose what cost tails we ride here at Skywest.

What

I thought the EXJ rates were done in arbitration, I am not in tune about all the drama that ALPA seems to have with all their regionals.

What higher rates would SKW get? Are you referring rates for the Ejets? I am not sure why many people believe that the Ejet shall pay more than the CRJ.

Nevets

The thing you don't get is that the company can and has changed anything that isn't in our pilot contract. And some of that has already been changed to help the company through a bunch of MOUs and LOAs. What else is there for us to do?

If Skywest gets anything it's too appease you guys from going union. Do you actually think that management pays you what they do for charity? If they thought they could get away with paying you $10 less, they would.

Anyway, when you factor in our higher 401k matching and B fund, that measly $2 override is still more than your or ASA large RJ compensation despite our concessionary rate! In other word, when you look at the totality of our contract, the overall compensation is right up there.

AxialFlow

Nevets, what have you got against SKW "riding coat tails"? I don't think them getting decent compensation is doing as much harm as a union carrier like Pinnacle lowering the bar for compensation industry wide. Or is it acceptable for PCL to hamstring the industry because they pay dues?

Nevets

Lets assume for argument sake that I agree with that premise completely. Very simply, two wrongs don't make it right.

JoeMerchant

Nevets is an ALPA cheerleader who prays at the Herndon alter. I've seen it many times...They are incapable of independent thought. It's really very sad.

Personally, I believe that SGU has done more good for the ASA pilots than Herndon has. That is coming from a former ALPA cheerleader and office holder.

AxialFlow

I don't think it's a question of right and wrong. Look at those carriers that are unionized; there's no solidarity. Mesa bids different rates on -200 flying than Air Whiskey. Even at the unionized carriers, you have 737 Captains at SWA making more than wide body Captains at UAL. Point being: there's no set standard. And without that, who's to say what is right and wrong? I know some people will say "But if Jerry could pay you $10 less an hour, he would!" But c'mon...what CEO wouldn't that apply to? Having not worked at Skywest, from the outside looking in, it looks like Jerry has 'cracked the code' on what we all knew before: compensate your employees as best you can and they'll take care of the company. But he's probably just taking a page out of Kelleher's book.

Nevets

Well, SWA is one of the most heavily unionized airlines out there. Although, when you consider that swa doesnt have a retirement contribution like DAL, UAL, and AA, there is no real disparity among those 737 pilots. The standard has been set by each union pilot group every time they negotiate a new contract and its working because all those airlines are profitable. Its the same overlook that happens with our B fund contribution. But you seem to get things mixed up like the Skywest pilots do. Whatever Mesa/TSA/Gojet/RAH or any other regional bids is done by management, not by the pilots. The Skywest pilots want to blame places like pinnacle for downward pressure on compensation yet give no credit for upward pressure and their increasing compensation when times were good for comair, awac, EGL, and XJT. The fact is that Jerry has cracked his pilots' code on what's the least he can compensate them without the pilots deciding to not be a drag on us (they get whatever 401k matching, health benefits, and scope we get, which will be nothing because of that anchor) and actually work with their fellow pilots in getting a fair contract.

So to my original point to you, even if we do agree that pinnacle is a drag for everyone, that doesn't make it ok for everyone or anyone else to also be a drag as well. That's what I meant that two wrongs don't make a right.

AxialFlow

The industry and its history are rife with examples of contract setbacks. Contracts are subject to not only the ups and downs of the industry, but the business plans set forth by management. The point still stands: No set standard.

Done by management, that in turn sets pilot pay. Latest example: PCL pilots being told they would either take a pay cut to keep flying, or they shutter the doors.

I think those pilot groups were individually given plenty of credit for the contracts they negotiated.

But Skywest ISN’T a drag. That’s MY point. Where’s the outrage at the unionized carriers that are a drag on the industry? On the surface, it looks like someone saying “If I gotta give up 2% of my salary, everybody else should, too!” Where’s the maturity in that? How about we all just quit looking in our neighbor's yards, and go back to mowing our own lawns?

Nevets

They are a drag on the XJT negotiations and by extension on this sector of the industry. It is fact that Skywest tied themselves to the XJT negotiations by agreeing to get whatever the XJT pilots get for 401k matching, health benefits, and scope. By anchoring 3000 additional pilots to another pilot group's negotiations, it takes more negotiating capital because the costing would include 7500 pilots rather than 4500 (which Skywest pilots are not contributing to) to keep what we have in those sections since they are all better than what Skywest has already, much less try to improve on those sections. More than likely, it'll cost us too much negotiating capital to keep all those items and they'll just concentrate on scope. If we do get any improvements in other places, skywest management will be hard pressed not to offer something up to their pilots, minus 2% of course, in order to perpetuate the whipsaw.

That clear things up a bit?