Pilot unions band together to fight contract
 

Pilot unions band together to fight contract concessions at regional airlines | Dallas Morning News

Pilot unions band together to fight contract concessions at regional airlines
By Terry Maxon
[email protected]
3:45 pm on April 17, 2014

The heads of pilot unions at 13 regional carriers have signed a joint statement vowing to fight together to head off contract concessions.

CORRECTION, 4:55 p.m.: Although his name appeared on the document, the signature of Piedmont Airlines MEC chairman Bruce Freedman was not on it, the document stated that his signature was “pending” and I’m told he declined to sign.

Including are the heads of three unions that turned down new contracts recently – Envoy Air (American Eagle Airlines), Republic Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines – and one union that approved a contract last year, PSA Airlines.

Here’s their joint statement:

The regional airline industry has seen a paradigm shift in recent months. Pilots at multiple carriers have overwhelmingly said “NO” to concessions. With the shortage of qualified pilots who are willing to fly for substandard wages and inadequate benefits at fee-for-departure carriers, the time is now for true cooperation.

Today, we are committing to coordination and support across pilot groups and unions. We will work together to set and achieve meaningful cornerstone standards. A pilot is a pilot, and the days of whipsawing one group against another by regional or mainline management is over.

Only together will we succeed.



Signees include:

Tony Middendorff, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Master Executive Council chair
Dave Allen, ExpressJet Airlines, MEC chair
Jeremy Peterson, SkyWest Airlines Pilots Association, president
John Bassett, CommutAir, MEC Chair
William Sprague, Envoy Air, MEC Chair
Craig Moffatt, president, Republic Airways Holdings executive board
Richard Swindell, Air Wisconsin, MEC chair
Daniel Schultz Compass Airlines, MEC chair
Claude Buraglia, Jazz Aviation, MEC chair
Jonathan Allen, Endeavor Air, MEC chair
Jesse Coeling PSA Airlines, MEC chair
Marcin Kolodziejczyk, Mesa Air Group, MEC chair
Cliff Simmons, Tran States Airlines, MEC chair

Pilot unions band together to fight contract
 

Popcorn ready!!!! This should get tasty.

Was a reason given?

I would bet they are in talks to get some 175s. Expect a horrible psa contract. God I hope they don't do anything like that.

The PSA MEC chairman shouldn't have signed it

GoJetzzzz wasn't even there.

Pilot unions band together to fight contract
 

PSA won't matter if all the other groups get a good contract. All qualified pilots won't even apply there, they will be flocking to good contract carriers. Stupid by the PSA MEC Chairman. They are going to shot themselves in the foot once the dust settles.

Psa and Gojetz should just be left out of everything.

Anger and spite feel good, but don't solve anything. When you leave out the worst offenders, it only gives them more excuse to offend.

I completely agree. Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.

We should all be on the phone with our friends at the regionals not on the list asking them to put pressure on their MECs to sign. STOP THE WHIPSAW!!!

Yep, kinda like how Great Lakes can't find applicants.....oh wait.

You guys have all the leverage. Think about it for a minute, if an entire seniority list walked off the job (in a legal job action of course) who could replace them? You even have the media on your side which is unbelievable. Imagine the headline: "Pilots of XYZ airline walk off the job in protest of $22,000/year starting pay." This subject has gained serious traction. You are doing the right thing by escalating it. If not now then when?

At GoJet, we are in the process of removing our stewards. Pretty sure we have enough refugees on property to ensure a no vote if a TA ever comes. This is not to say original GoJet guys would all vote yes, but those of us that have seen how quick a company will throw you away will surely vote no. I would hope so anyway. I know I have not one ounce of care in me if the company cannot continue to operate because we demand a fair wage. Just means that the regional experiment did not work. Game over.

What did Gojet and PDTs union say the reason they didn't sign was? Im looking for and official reason not speculation. Thanks

I was thinking the same thing. He probably thought that no one would notice.

He just means they won't take any MORE concessions. The first round was ok, but no more, dammit! They have standards! :rolleyes:

Seriously???

That's awesome! I hope you guys are able to make it work over there!!!

Thanks man. I think there is an honest effort being made. Throwing out the old guard. Grievances are being filed. I am aware that GoJet's beginnings are not squeaky clean but that does not mean we cannot try to turn it around. It's not going anywhere, so it's time to fix it.

Pilots don't need to walk away from the job to change the starting pay of $22k, they just to need to ask for a higher starting pay..

If you think and believe that the $22k starting pay is because that is what management pays.....

WRONG

This is what the negotiating committee, basically senior pilots, asks the management to pay the new hires...

Anyone who doesn't believe or agree with this, still needs to learn a lot about managements unions and organized labor...

BC I agree with you. I was taking an extreme position for sake of argument. Just don't budge during negotiations, no reason to. Double starting pay should be the opening position, no joke.

I understand..

I agree 100% that if the Pilot groups hold strong now, they can regain a lot, if not most, of the lost pay, bennies & prestige....

This all will have to start with paying the Jr guy a live able wage & it will require a change in the thought process of " Because I had to do it, so Jr should do it also......"

Another thing I would like to add, Instead of alienating certain pilot groups, if we can try to get everyone together, that will help this profession a lot more....

Stay strong, stay focused & stay together....

Lanyards???????????????

I wish you the very best 8hour.

PDT update
 

So after much speculation, PDT MEC put out an update as to why he did not sign the current FFDC letter. Without getting into all the details, our MEC chairman was not present at the meeting where the letter was drafted and had several questions before he felt he could endorse such a letter. His main problem was how vague the letter was. There was no real purpose to it other than to make fact-less statements. It was filled with empty promises. He sited several similar letters where each had a tangible goal in what they were trying to accomplish and how they would try and move forward, most recently a very similarly worded document drafted by the FFDC from August 2013. He also stated we are not against a unified approach to better regional pilots however making vague promises without stating concrete goals is useless and a failure to those pilots the MEC represents.

At Eagle we have to wear some ridiculous Oneworld lanyard as "part of the uniform" if we're going to wear a lanyard.

That is a complete cop-out.

No one can state concrete goals in the highly dynamic situation in which we find ourselves and revealing specific tactics would be akin to the coach handing his play book and game plan to the opposing team's coach the night before.

Very weak.

Except the assistant cp, who as he is telling you this he is wearing a ND lanyard.

Disappointing to NOT see Horizon on this list....Hmmmmmm

They can keep all their *******g prestige, show me the $$$ and the benefits!

The problem is Endeavor is the top regional in the country in terms of quality, and has the worst pilot contract ever.

The whipsaw will never end until mainline takes back the flying. Anything else is a complete waste of time.

Disregard.

69

Whaaaaaaaaaa?

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view2/163...t-minion-o.gif

I don't believe Endeavor is the best performing regional. Regardless, Endeavor will wilt on the vine until it dies. In two years it will be no more without a large change. The regional model is dead.

As a Horizon guy, I wouldn't be worried. What do we have to fight for, contract wise? Where do we lag behind other regionals, with regards to compensation? Perhaps a better min. guarantee? As far as being whip-sawed against anyone else, we've only played the role of the victim. And as a wholly-owned, our management team will never bid for flying that isn't from Alaska. This question was actually recently asked and answered, and the answer from management was "Why would we use Alaska Air Group resources to serve a competitor?"

Horizon is not a threat to anyone in the regional airline industry. I'm not saying that the MEC over here would object to participating, but rather likely wasn't even approached.

Damn straight!

Bears lanyard or sick call. Done.

Well, we mooch off Delta's teet, so it's not hard to figure out why.

I don't wear a lanyard but I'd rather wear the Oneworld lanyard than a Bears lanyard! :p

Better than a worthless ALPA one.

And what glorious utopian union is going to swoop in and save the day at your regional?

Is a union even relevant at a regional with zero leverage?