It's a good thing ALPO never perused a national seniority system for longevity pay. The whipsaw has only just begun. The writing has been on the wall for some time. Regionals with large numbers of pilots are being drawn down and tiny airlines are being built up in their place. Mainline management is hoping we all rush to Mesa, Compass and PSA for $23 when the rest of the big regionals fold.

If we were able to keep our longevity pay, it would be much less of an issue and a deterrent for the whipsaw. ALPO is firmly on their heels yet again. The single biggest thing ALPO could do to increase pay across the board is to untether us from any one airline seniority number. Plumbers, Electrician and construction unions all have longevity taken into account when they change jobs. Wake [edit] up ALPO you stupid thieving pieces of crap! It would even increase the ammount they collect for dues, and they are too stupid apparently to see it.

 

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Seriously, is it possible you are mad at the wrong people? Even if ALPA stood their ground, they would just whipsaw the alpa carriers against the non alpa carriers and the non alpa carriers against other non alpa carriers.

 

Says the guy seeking employment @ Allegiant. Pot meet Kettle

 

Exactly. There's only one guy to blame, the man in the mirror, for taking a $23 an hour job at a regional when you can make $55 an hour other places.

 

There should be no $23 an jobs at airlines anyway.

I had an FO recently whom I was humbled by. He was an amazing pilot with an unfortunate career. He flew for several big named carriers who went under over the years. It was a real pleasure to fly with him. I was angered though at the fact someone with more experience in aviation than most of my other FO's have been alive, was making so little money. He is worth so much more. To be lumped in with a bunch of recent Riddle grads when it comes to pay is an insult to his experience.

Why so many of you thick headed morons are against longevity recognition is beyond me. When I explain to friends outside the industry how our pay system works, they think we are insane. They are right. So many of you buy into the "that's the way it's always been" mentality. People who think like that are the problem. Most of us will be in the position of starting over at some point. How about getting in line with other union labor pay practices already.

 

Seek away. Be sure to also get your app in with NAI

 

If u want to see a real failure come to airways and deal with usapa

 

Lead the charge rather than rant from the safety of your home/hotel room/crash pad. If you are unable to lead then you are no different than the rest. Complaining to a bunch of pilots who have probably somehow had it worse than you gets you nowhere.

 

I have brought it up to my reps. I have brought it up in a conference call. There is seemingly no will from ALPA to deviate from the status quo.

Not for a nanosecond have I ever implied I had anything worse than anybody. I do recognise that any of us could go from having a good job one day, to starting over at the bottom of a new company. When an experienced professional takes a new job an 99% of the rest of the job market, they don't end up being paid like an intern all over again. I guess you see things differently. Maybe you think we deserve less. Is that what you're saying?

I have no desire to be a leader in ALPA or any other union. I think pilot unions are a scam. They, just like a snake oil salesman, purport to be a solution for your problems. With our present seniority system and the pay scales ALPA helped negotiate, ALPA has been the problem. I feel we would be better served with no union at all. Since that isn't likely, the next best thing would be creating career portability. That would empower all of us and put pressure on the airlines to compete for our services.

 

GlobeTrekker, I think you are anger is partially misguided. Don't get me wrong, I am no fan of ALPA (I'm ex-Comair). And, in the interest of full disclosure, before coming to my current major, I took a job at another regional in order to stay current. I wasn't there long, but I was there, so one can make the valid statement that I helped perpetuate the problem.

That said, there are two parts to the problem. The unions are one, and your anger and frustration there are justified. The other parts are the companies. Even if ALPA/IPA/APA/IBT/USAPA/SWAPA or any others agreed today to go along with your plan, you have to get the airlines to do it. Given that they already know that pilots are willing--I would even dare say able, based on past behavior--airlines will have no incentive to follow your concept until even the majors can't find pilots, and that day is years away.

In the meantime, even at the regional level, while the pilot shortage is real, there is still a level of pilot re-cycling taking place. Comair guys are still going to other regionals, and pilots from Eagle will start over at regionals for a while as well. It isn't until regional pilots refuse to jump back on the low-pay treadmill that the issue is going to get any traction at all.