This statement further proves your lack of education in this industry. We didn't lose any airplanes from our fleet and our business plan is not even close to Indy Air. Its too bad you represent Skywest pilots, you really give some good guys a bad name.

 

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/sh...?t=9959&page=5

See post #47 for some facts on why Skywest's override is as good/better than most other regionals.

 

I don't care how it compares to other regionals. That is my point. I don't see acceptable 70/90 seat pay in the industry. We shouldn't even have 70/90 seaters in the regional airlines, and the majors should have never released that scope. And the fact that Skywest pilots just rolled over for management with the first thing that they presented is sad. Republic has a chance coming and I hope they demand major money.

 

Bingo!

The SKW pilots had no say in the matter...kind of like voting in the soviet union...one party, one candidate. They could have voted no as a protest.

 

Here we go again with the SkyWest attitude.

Johnso29,

I voted no for the pay proposal in hopes that we could negotiate better. I guess you didn't read that. My GUESS is that it was the SkyWest lifers who voted yes for the insulting pay proposal. I agree with you in that XJT, Comair, etc., all pave the way for better contracts. However, if this is the case, then why isn't it happening across the board? Do you think management sits in their office and says, "well, XJT management gave their pilots a raise, we should give our pilots a raise." Do you think that Mesa, Trans States, etc. pilots are going to go to management and say, "we want what they have" and management is going to give it to them? It doesn't work that way, I like you, would like it to, but it doesn't. And people like yourself who think that that is a possibility should think again. Just because XJT gets a raise doesn't mean everyone else is going to follow suit.

It was the pilots' who voted YES for the pay proposal that are accepting less than what we are worth. I haven't seen one SkyWest person on this forum who has said they voted yes for that pay proposal.

On another note, the SkyWest pilot group is extremely divided considering that 55% of the people who voted, voted YES KNOWING THAT FELLOW PILOTS WERE NOT GETTING A RAISE! THAT IS EXACTLY WHY A UNION WILL NOT WORK AT SKYWEST. AS YOU ALL SAY, A UNION IS ONLY A STRONG AS ITS PILOTS. A UNION NEEDS UNITY TO BE STRONG, AND THAT IS LACKING HERE AT SKYWEST. HOWEVER, THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE ARE HAPPY HERE, SO GO FIGURE?

 

That is also why Pinnacle will get a pilot contract and it will be a good one. Over the past year and a half i haven't flown with one captain who would have voted yes to managements last, best, and final offer. The pinnacle pilot group is united and we aren't going to rollover anymore. I think management is finally seeing that we are serious. our group is united, and i will say one of the best pilot groups i have seen. (and yes i do have someone else to compare them to!)

 

Thank you for clarification on this.

You absolutely should do this. Thats the whole idea.


If it doesn't work this way, then why did it work for XJET?

Lack of unity is exactly what contributes to destroying this industry. Please don't think that I am saying only Skywest pilots are divided. This is a problem that exists in many pilot groups. We have to fix it. I too am constantly thinking of my immediate future, but I am also thinking of my long term future. If we as regional pilots continue to accept subpar wages and flying larger airplanes we may destroy our future opportunities to move on to bigger and better things. I don't believe Skywest pilots are the demise of the industry. I do think they contribute, just like Republic, Mesa, GoJets, and others. But they are not the only ones who are guilty.

 

Mesa Pilot Group: "J.O. did you see the new XJet contract! We pilots, demand better pay, QOL, and work rules!

J_O-web.jpg J.O. What! New contract! No soup for you! One Year!

 

Classic!

Again, it would be nice if we could go to management and demand, request, negotiate a FAIR contract. However, I constantly hear that management is not meeting with the unions on revising their contract. This is extremely evident with GoJet who still has no contract. Trans States is having problems even getting management to the table. And an ASA guy who called to talk to me about ALPA said they have had problems in the past with Delta and SkyWest in the beginning, but now it has changed and they are negotiating. However, that was a month ago and still no contract or rumors of one in sight.

CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG, but my understanding of your management at XJT is they GIVE you a good deal and you take it! Again, from what I have heard and gathered, your management LIKES you guys and GIVES you what you deserve. With that being said, it is easy to criticize other places that have to work with management to get anything descent.

What is your expectations at SkyWest? How do you think ANYONE is going to change the thought process of someone who has been there 10 - 20 years and has decided to make a career out of SkyWest? ALPA is not going to come in and change the way these guys think! I agree, it would be great if we could go to management and say, "here is what XJET, RAH, Horizon, etc. is getting and we deserve this!" However, you have SAPA who is apparently buddy/buddy with management and will not go to bat for the pilot group. Being at SkyWest for only six months, I have yet to be able to make a solid opinion on whether or not that is true.

I am in agreement with you that we all should be able to say that company XYZ is profitable and they are getting this and that. Our company's answer to that is out profit sharing which can get pretty high to my understanding. Nonetheless, it is wishful thinking that companies with management like TSA and Mesa will get contracts anywhere near XJT's or Horizon's because they simply ask for it. Time to board, more later!

 

Agreed. However just because XJT has high rates makes them the exception. If a small percentage is doing better than the rest to make it more unified would be to cut their wages not up the rest. They are above the average. So is skywest. If ALPA had any effect it wouldn't be on XJT it would be on those operating below the average. ALPA doesn't make the regional excel but rather try and keep them from sinking. At least that's how I view them. Everyone is entitled to their own thinking. I don't think XJT's contract has a single thing to do with ALPA. If they weren't they'd still be sitting at the same spot.

So what you are seeing here is something that's good on paper but, at the regional level, not in practice. ALPA can't stop mesa from screwing their guys or Comair from taking a blade to thiers. They can't really do anything. You can't get blood from a turnip. If the airline doesn't have the money to operate they pilots have no leg to stand on to demand more. The only thing ALPA can do is look at and attack any violations on scope clauses. Which they don't create.

Regardless if everyone out there was ALPA you still have a few things happening. One is everyone is hiring making standards drop. That's across the board. Two, due to certain airline being able to undercut others you're going to see very low wages for some... Mesa to exact. Skywest is not the enemy. Mesa is. By hiring at a high rate and keeping wages and benifits good as skywest does they are keeping pressure on other regionals to do the same if they plan on hiring anyone. XJT is doing so as well, maybe even moreso.

Point is because both XJT, SKW, Republic, are hiring so much while maintaining better work rules/environment THEY and THEY alone appear to be the only ones applying pressure on the industry to get better and are doing so without the help of ALPA. We know Mesa is having serious staffing issues. They'll have to pay more soon if they plan on getting anyone. That's thanks to the companies mentioned above. Not because of ALPA. I don't see SKW as a group of crap people because they aren't a member of ALPA, I see them as someone who's outpacing ALPA and would only waste a few % of their check to make some others make them feel more accepted.

The fact that all the pilots voted on their current rates smells of a unified front within the company. While technically the pilots didn't have any firm ground to stand on, it would be interesting to see what the company would have done had they had a 70/30 or bigger against vote. While offering profit sharing ect. they strike me as a company that values its employees. To obviously go against a majority vote while making money would have some serious HR issues. I could be nieve to things. But that's how I'd like to view them.