No, he's right. If you look at the long term...

Short term, other regionals are paying more to attract new hires. This is fine for the un-informed, or those willing to take a calculated risk that they'll upgrade fast and not get stuck there.

But SKW is still attracting new hires, and they're either coming for the bases, or they're older folks who have been around the block a few times and either plan on staying, or want to be comfortable if they get stuck.

^^^ this

it is all about supply and demand. People vote with their feet. And as long as new hires come here it is obviously attractive by their metrics - salary being only one of many.

Absolutely right, but for the average 24 year old newhire, it's gonna cost. Every year not spent at the majors will cost you hundreds of thousands, if not millions at the end of your career. This job is a seniority based endeavor, screw around at the start and it just might mean retiring on the narrowbody instead of the widebody fleets. Screw it up bad enough snowboarding and surfing and it could be the proverbial million dollar mistake. Stay hungry and escape the regional prison system as soon as you can get parole.

So between new hires and lifers there is absolutely no critical mass to fight for improvements.

Mic drop.

Filler.

Fact.....
3 Union drives, all failed some by more than others, but still no Union or any prospect, so yeah, no "critical mass". To "fight" for improvements there has to be a mechanism. Wishing, whilst easy is not very effective. There are 2 options at this point, #1-accept it for what it is, and live with it, or #2-leave and get what you desire elsewhere.
The irony is in an industry where no one wants to rock the boat, even if they escape the regionals and get to a major, that attitude will just move with them. Kinda sad really.

Then you have never worked anywhere else. Being employed by three different regionals the qol is the same here as everywhere else. There are a lot of shady things that happen regularly and it just gets swept under the rug.

Then why SkyWest? Every other carrier is union. Why would you come here? Hell, even Mesa is ALPA..... since QOL is the same why not go there? You would have upgraded 2 years ago there...

I fully agree. My comment was more an observation that explains the current dynamic than a criticism.

We are not mainline and never will be. So people need to get comfortable with the economics. And there have been enough examples of regionals pushing it too far and becoming extinct. Our sister companies may turn into the most recent example....

That paradigm comes from a time when the majors weren't hiring, and were in fact furloughing. The company used to crow about having 4000 viable applications to chose from, now having a pulse is qualification enough. I have flown with many guys new and senior who belonged in the position, but I have also flown as of late, too many who did not. The pool is dry, the funny thing is,the very things that would attract more people into the job, money and QOL are the very things they are cutting. After first year, second year is the same as 10 years ago when the 4000 choices were available. Can't fix stupid.
BTW, the people boarding my plane(in a specific paint scheme), bought their tickets on mainline.com and are reading mainline magazine from the seat back pocket, they boarded a mainline jetbridge, by mainline gate agents and the ticket counter was staffed by mainline employees, the planes are catered by companies contracted to serve mainline food and beverages. We aren't mainline in pay, workrules and employer(who contracts with mainline). So I will beg to differ on the mainline status from a practical point.