May 18, 2014

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Fellow Miami Pilots,

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We are severely disappointed with the communication from Pedro Fábregas.* His accusations of “false information” are appalling.* His desire to “set the record straight” is laughable. *Management have proven themselves the masters of misinformation.* One false promise after another.

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Management said during the bankruptcy, if we signed the BK deal we would get airplanes.* Now, they say that was different management. Nice excuse - we say that is a promise not kept.* During the AIP vote, they threatened us with a March 21st deadline for the vote closing.* When the MEC decided the vote would close on the 28th, management acquiesced.* Time and time again management has changed or fled from their threats.*

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Most recently, Mr. Fábregas said we will have 200 aircraft at Envoy.* This is misleading or in his words “misinformation.”* Let’s work through some of the company’s own statements.* We currently have 224 aircraft.* The company’s SEC filing says we lose 25 140s this year.* That takes us down to 199 aircraft.* So, we are already below Pedro’s “promise” of 200 aircraft.* But let’s keep working through their comments.* Repeatedly, they have said if we voted NO they would move the CRJs elsewhere, and they appear to be in the process of doing this.* As you know, the most recent vacancy bid was cancelled.* So, if we can take management word as truth, the CRJs are leaving.* Continuing with the math, 199-47=152 aircraft.* A far stretch from 200.* Yet, Pedro said, our Chairman’s message was “false information.”* If the company follows through on their “word”, they will park the remaining 140s.* This will leave us with 118 aircraft.* Yeah, sounds like Mr. Fábregas is really setting the record straight.

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We challenge management to lay out the details for those aircraft.* During the AIP we were given a 170 aircraft fleet plan.* We voted NO, and now we get a 200 aircraft “promise” from Pedro.* Pedro’s promise sounds like misinformation to us.* Before the AIP, management said if we voted no they would move the CRJs sooner rather than later.* Now Pedro says, “The CRJs stay here for the foreseeable future.”* In light of the recent cancelled bid, we dare management to define that time frame.

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When we read Mr. Fábregas’ statement, that the MEC came back to him, we were shocked.* HE CAME TO US!* Mr. Fábregas asked that the MEC develop a proposal that the entire MEC could get behind.* Shortly after, he asked us if the MEC would support the AIP with APA seniority numbers.* Our chairman explained to him that the process for that would be complicated and that the pilots would be skeptical of any new deal coming from management.* He told Captain Sprague to let him worry about getting the numbers. The Chairman was immediately aware that this seemed like a ploy from the company to have us make an offer.* Mr. Fábregas later came back to us and said AAG management was not interested.* In our opinion Mr. Fábregas was being used by AAG management to get the MEC to present an offer so they could reject it.* We now see in their rebuttal that this is playing out.* They want it to seem like the MEC is desperate.* Nothing is further from the truth.* The MEC is more resolved now than ever.

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I also take offense that Mr. Fábregas wrote Congress a letter detailing his concerns about the pilot shortage.* He wrote:

“This has become an obstacle to the industry’s continuing ability to provide regional air service to many small and medium sized communities around the country. Several regional airlines have already reduced their levels of flying, attributing it to the pilot shortage and the pilot shortage is not getting any better. In the relative near term it could well result in additional service cutbacks within the industry, hurting each of those many communities individually – including their residents and employers – and also having a negative impact on the national economy.”

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So management comes to us and says we are too expensive. Yet, they go to Congress and points out that the shortage is already happening.* We applaud the Congressional Committee for seeing these for what they are capable of.* They cannot have it both ways.* They can’t cry to Congress about a shortage, and yet they want to lower the income of pilots.* Some of these pilots are strapped down in student loan debt of over $100,000.* Every red cent matters to our FOs.* Management should be embarrassed.* We are embarrassed for them.

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Mr. Fábregas “mischaracterizes” the Chairman’s comments on PBS.* At no time did Captain Sprague accuse the company of implementing PBS as punishment for rejecting the TA. What Captain Sprague did say is that the push to implement PBS “fits nicely” with the apparent plan to punish the pilots at Envoy.* Captain Sprague rightly pointed out that the company will take a bite out of our hides if we vote no to PBS.

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As dire as things seem, this all could be alleviated.** The company could swallow their pride and come back to the table in a reasonable manner.* They do not appear that they want to do that at this time.* They have told us that they will place aircraft elsewhere.* They might come back to us further down the road.* Our fear is that it will be too late.* We cannot attract new hires, because pilots do not want to come here with this Comair II threat being held over our heads.* We can’t keep pilots here, because the company said there will be displacements and our future is uncertain.* We do not believe we can continue the amount of flying AA wants us to do while sustaining such a large hit against our attrition level.

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It is time for AAG to take the nearly 2700 pilots at Envoy seriously and uphold our current agreement.* Mr. Fábregas, please stop giving us empty promises!* It’s time for management to work with us to keep Envoy on a path to success, so that pilots can find a prosperous career here.** It is time to make good on your word, so we can move forward as healthy company with qualified pilots willing to fill the seats of our aircraft!

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Fly safe,

*

Jamie and Ken

 

ENY133 LEC
Update 5-17-14

Chicago pilots,

I hope everyone has had a chance to read the latest message from the MEC chairman. I want to expand on this and talk about the events of the last couple weeks. There has been a lot of misinformation and rumors circulating and I hope to set some things straight. This is a critical time for us and I want everyone informed and up to date.

Back on May 5th, the MEC had a teleconference in which we discussed ways that we could provide assistance for those pilots looking to move elsewhere in the industry. As mentioned in previous MEC blasts, we are working on getting the contracts finalized for a logbook service as well as access to a job posting website and a well-known aviation career counselor. I have been pushing hard for ALPA to move faster in providing these services, but due to the amount of money being spent there is a certain amount of red tape to cut through. I think the final contracts should be complete early next week and these programs implemented shortly thereafter.

On May 6th we received word from Pedro that he would entertain a “reasonable” proposal from the MEC. He wanted us to present him with something that the MEC could fully support and would pass pilot ratification. Pedro also floated the idea of giving Envoy pilots AA seniority numbers and wanted to know if we would support the failed AIP if it had AA seniority numbers. We told him we couldn’t blindly support that without discussing the details. We continued to discuss the proposal and decided to have another teleconference on May 7th. We got on the phone with the negotiating committee and gave them direction on what a proposal should look like and brainstormed ideas. For the next few days we debated the content but ultimately we were never given the opportunity to present anything to the company.

May 12th came around and we got word from the company that any kind of proposal from us would not be accepted. Everyone on the MEC had worked hard to try to come up with something we could support, the pilots could support and management could accept but they wanted to hear none of it. I was disappointed that the company would go back on their offer but as we’ve seen before…this is not unprecedented behavior for them.

In the company’s recent communication they stated, “ALPA now contends we recently told them an offer from the union for a new TA would be “summarily rejected.” This is not accurate.” Actually, this is accurate. We did not work on a proposal independently. Pedro said the company was willing to look at an offer on May 6th and then by May 12th they had completely reversed their position.

The worst part about the company’s email on Friday, beyond the inaccuracies, is the clear intent to pit work groups against each other. We know the facts, and can relate them to you as I am doing now, but the flight attendants and ground crews will not hear our side of the story. This is classic maneuvering from management, and is another poke in our collective eyes.

Everyone who has been at Eagle/Envoy for more than a year knows the golden rule: don’t lie. This is so vital because the second you start lying, you lose all credibility. Pedro has lost all credibility in my eyes. It’s sad to see the state of the airline come to this. I have so much respect for the employees here at Envoy, we deserve better leadership than this.

Fraternally,
Z & Z

 

Here is New York's

We just report the facts

The fact is: this place doesn't have to suck.

We have great coworkers, good equipment, and an enormous sense of pride in what we do (witness the great performance numbers we continue to provide). Until recently we had an excess of pilots amidst a deepening shortage. Our parent company is flush with cash and revenues look stable for the foreseeable future. And yet, those of us here at Eagle/Envoy suffer from having almost zero hope for a future at this carrier.

In 2014 alone we’ve seen management steal our hard-earned reputation and hand it out to others, change treatment of our payroll methodology at least three times, change our access to PTO to cover certain absences, “re-interpreted” our FRMP and inflict severe consequences to pilots who declare themselves unfit to fly, arbitrarily choose which parts of the contract to enforce in relation to FAR117, and which parts to ignore; and have started to hand out harsh disciplinary actions for issues that were considered relatively minor before. And I won’t even expend ink on our awful schedules nor touch on the artificial crisis brought by management’s decision to not refleet this airline with more efficient and profitable aircraft.

None of this needs to be. I urge company officers to immediately cease waging war on the pilots and instead recognize the value just a modicum of harmony and teamwork would bring to the employees and shareholders alike. Pedro’s emails often speak of this, and I believe him to be authentic, but the middle-managers between him and the pilots can’t seem to enact his enthusiasm for teamwork or recognize the immediate value doing so would bring.

Our company leaders often accuse ALPA of writing negative communications. I’d laugh if it wasn’t such a serious matter. We are merely reporting the facts, and bringing forth the reality that management’s actions have created. ALPA can’t make this place succeed or fail, only the company can. Only the company can create and fill a market, and only the company can create the workplace environment that inspires men and women to be great and go the extra mile in a manner that far exceeds what our salaries would warrant. Only the company can create the conditions that make Eagle/Envoy a job worth wanting, or keeping.

There are two pieces of information I’d like to share, one qualitative and the other quantitative. The qualitative is this: we keep in touch with many of our pilots who have moved on to other carriers, and whether it’s AA, a Low Cost Carrier, Part 91 or overseas operations the most common refrain we hear is, “I can’t believe how much better I’m treated. I feel like a professional. I’m human again.” The quantitative information is: almost none of our pilots are going to work at other US regional carriers. Those who are leaving here are moving upward. Upward to LCCs, the Majors and/or overseas operations where salaries are 2-3 times what our departing First Officers are presently earning.

That’s right, our FOs are getting hired at very desirable companies who value and respect employees and empower them to achieve great results.

As the First Officer representative, I think it important for our junior guys to know that your brother and sister pilots are being hired without turbine PIC, which means you don’t need to go chase that quick upgrade, “recycle your seniority” and fly AAG’s shiny new jets at first year wages elsewhere. Instead, set your sights higher! You’ve made it through some of the best training in the industry and you have marketable skills. Please don’t sell yourself short!

Personally, I don’t want you to leave because I love working with each and every one of you and I still hold out a glimmer of hope for our company, but you’ve got a career to enhance and a family to feed. AAG says they don’t want you to leave, but the reality of their actions indicate otherwise. (Sorry management, this is a fact that you created and I’m merely highlighting.)

In closing, I think it very important to note that deep down I’m a loyal company man and our present situation pains me. Like Pedro, I want to be a winner. Indeed, I want nothing more than to loudly tell the world that this is the premier regional airline, and when management creates that reality, I believe they’ll find no louder cheerleaders than Ray, Me & the MEC.

 

Perhaps Mr. Fab is desperate and trying to link up the two sides any way he can ?

If I saddled myself with a house like that based on such a tenuous future, I'd be as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

 

Very proud of our union leaders. Haven't seen a DFW rep letter yet though?

 

Pedro is a left over from the schiniaigans that was an airline called executive airlines. Expect nothing else but open lies and extortion from this group of old school carribean airline management.

 

It's interesting to read what's happening at Eagle, because a lot of similar things are going on over at XJT (though, so far, not as severe). These regional managers are betting on winding down their "troublesome" ops, while making vacancies at carriers who will accept their aircraft.

It seems they are at loss as to what to do and are crossing their fingers that the old whipsaw game will work. I hope that any furloughed out of a regional airline will take other employment, rather than start at yr 1 pay. I expect to see more of these hiring bonus schemes in the future, to get around raising pay.

I just hope that anyone new entering this field realizes that the more they chase upgrade, the more likely they make it, that they will never get to a legacy carrier. As long as regionals can be made and destroyed every few yrs, there will be no incentive to bring major flying in-house.

 

The current exchange of 50 seaters for larger rjs is fueling this last minute attempt at a whipsaw. If they weren't playing that game, then the music would finally have stopped for airline management. I hope this is being force fed to law makers as these same managers go running to congress about a pilot shortage.