12-08-2022No offense to the original poster (OP) but he says that he does not think he’s good enough for DL because of a low GPA, his priority is seemingly PNW and friendly agents over pay. If I were still at Alaska, I wouldn’t want yet another 92-%-er with low esteem on the property voting on pay and work rules. There are already enough misfit toys on your island. You guys find yourself where you are because of years of ingrained culture and Stockholm syndrome. You guys and gals have continually settled for less pay, have voluntarily given away pay, given away work rules, voted away pensions, and have continually thrown your junior pilots and pilots not yet on the property under the bus. Why do you guys do this again? All for living in your precious PNW? WtF@?
The way Alaska treats you guys like your are liabilities to be minimized. It made some sense when Alaska was the only game in town. They could get away with it. Well, that’s no longer the case. Alaska is no longer the only game in town for you PNW guys. Too bad everyone acknowledges it except your management.
You guys had best hope that you get scope in your arbitration. Without it, the Cooch and uncle Brad could do to you what they did to Horizon, Commit to Compete 2.0. Horizon, OO, Allegiant, Spirit, or any other capacity purchase deal could see your Alaska flying go away.
If that wasn’t bad enough, you guys go amendable in three years with openers possibly in two years. Given how poorly all of your past CBA negotiations have gone and how your TPA negotiations went, how do you think your next section 6 will go? Alaska has not been big on good faith bargaining. They haven't had to be.
If that were not bad enough, your current arbitration only addresses pay, retirement, and scope. That means you guys and gals are stuck with the same sh*tty work rules, going forward. But, then again, you voluntarily voted-in all of those productivity improvements and settled for less in exchange.
Also, they have already driven a wedge between the haves and have-nots by telling you that they cannot pay a fair wage because a handful of your pilots still have a grandfathered defined benefit. So, let me get this straight. You guys voted away retirements for every new-hire not yet on the property in exchange for the Company promising to honor the pension commitment for those who elected to remain with the status quo. Now Alaska wants to renege on that commitment?
In two to three years with your next section 6, You can bet that Alaska will come after those pensions. They will again attempt divide and conquer. If you guys wimp out snd vote it away again, I hope that the handful of guys who still had pensions turn around and sue ALPA.
Bottom line, things aren’t going to change there until you guys change your culture. The last thing you need are more misfit toys on your island. Hopefully, with the influx of new-hires with non-air-group regional experience and an influx of Virgin pilots will dilute your settle-for-less Stockholm syndrome culture. Going forward, they’ll represent 30% of your pilots. With this new blood, maybe you guys can chart a new course, escape your 92-% legacy.
If you don’t, get ready for more PayDay candy bars, Christmas furlough notices, 35% pay cuts, and more sub-standard pay and work rules.
But, rest assured. Your efforts are not going un-noticed by your management. They love it when you fly time-and-a-half, pick-up open-time, work on your days off, work on vacation, sell-back your vacation, build your lines up to 117 limits. Yeah they love it a lot; because it happens a lot.
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Good luck, God Speed, and Grow a pair.
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AIRLINEPILOT CENTRAL
