70% of Eagle pilots voted yes on the bankruptcy deal. I was one of the them. I don't know how RK voted on that, but he has been vocally against the current company proposals since they came in December.

On top of that, who cares who wrote it? Did you read the content? Do you disagree with the content? If so, tell us why. Otherwise, why attack the messenger?

 

I'm not attacking the messenger and Rich is a good guy.

I'm just pointing out that it is easier to take such a stance when you have nothing to lose. The content of this message aside he never spoke up before in the past like this. It's just interesting timing that he does now with one foot out the door.

 

We all know there is NO shortage of pilots. Just a shortage of pilots who work for peanuts, and are afraid to walk the picket line.

 

There should be no such thing as a 10 year agreement. Add 10 years on to another maybe 5 years to negotiate and you're looking at 15 years under this crap sandwich. The shortage will become more apparent 2018-2020 and you guys will be locked into this thing with no leverage. If you guys are accepting pay freezes for a certain amount of years that's a pay cut with inflation. Don't take less money to fly bigger planes. If you guys vote yes the only hope you have is that it's so bad you can't find enough pilots and it forces them to do something.

 

I have no idea when, but if he was comm chair at the time, he couldn't put anything personal out.

 

Rich was not the comm chair during BK, he served as the comm chair before BK.

 

Rich was in favor of the bankruptcy TA. He still stands by the decision. However, when when Paker & company made initial inquiries in July 2012, Rich was against anymore concessions. He has always been against any post bankruptcy concessions.

 

If the company had threatened us like this when he wasn't already on a flowthrough list, perhaps then he would have taken a stand then. I don't think his timing is interesting at all. Coincidental, sure.

"The content of this message aside..." Why should anyone put the content of the message aside? The content is what matters!

Does it help you at all that many of us who are defending him do not have a foot out the door? That many of us, myself included, have a mortgage/kids/bills/etc. and are willing to stand up anyway? I see no evidence that RK would not be writing this if he did not happen to be on a flowthrough list that he cannot control the timing of. You certainly have not provided any evidence of that.

 

Ok. I'm not trying to pick a fight with you.

We all want what is best for our airline. Let's not lose sight of that.

 

I think you guys are missing the point if you're making this about me.

I voted yes to the BK TA because the threat of imposed work rules and no contract was real. It is a simple matter for a BK judge to vaporize our contract. It was the lesser of two evils.

Now we are out of BK and the only way we are giving concessions is if WE choose to do it. Therefore I am a no voter in this situation.

My choice to leave Eagle was very tough. As a 16 year check airman I have a pretty great deal going. I won't make the same money until I upgrade at AA. I would have stayed if Eagle had AAG not chosen this course.

The point is that we finally have the leverage to say no and make it stick. I thought I would share what I learned in Washington to show the side of things that management doesn't want you to see.

My hope is that we call their bluff and we get some substantial improvements - something we can vote yes to.

Rich