As two of my SkyWest pilot friends say, "because many (not all) SkyWest pilot's are too cheap to pay a few % points for representation to legally enforce policies that are constantly reinterpreted to fit the company's needs when necessary."

Also, don't forget that SkyWest literally buys their fake pilot union, called SAPA. It's only purpose is to keep a real union and lawyers off property from my understanding. I guess a while back the SAPA organization started censoring communication between pilots on their pilot forum as well. :eek:

Try a Google search: Douglas vs. SkyWest or Deneffe vs. Skywest and read about what SkyWest management has done to pilots. I don't think it's all rainbows there like many others suggest.

Perfect description. Fortunately, when SW pilots get to the majors, they have more experienced senior pilots who know the benefit of a union. Looking forward to the opportunity to pay 2% of my salary for legal representation and enforceable work rules that the company can't change to offset my 1% raise.

And the communication is still censored on our forum. The company is getting a great return on their investment in SAPA.

Sounds like horrible SAPA leadership to censor communication, stinks of a power play if you ask me, sorry.

Do you elect these MEC-type people to represent you or does the company pick them for you? Because, I'd have trouble believing any pilot group would elect someone that would censor pilot communication whether good or bad. That's just wrong.

One more thing, is it true that Skywest is trying to get ExpressJet out of business? (That's the rumor)

Whoa...wait. Only 1% raise, what? Tell me that the SkyWest pilot group didn't vote for that too? :confused:

My opinion only, our pilot group is apathetic. One former SAPA president was very upfront with our pilot group. The company tried to limit his communication and our former VP of FO asked that all communication to the pilots go through him to be approved before it was sent to the pilots. Our SAPA President refused and lost access to send emails from the company email to the pilot group.

The only time you will see a push on elections is when SAPA is worried about someone running that may rock the boat. Most of our rep elections are very low turnout because people realize that nothing can get done and eventually all our good SAPA reps get burned out and quit the company or being a rep. I personally feel there are several things our current SAPA Pres and EB have done things that should lead to a recall. Changing the ability to have new hires vote (during a pay package vote that gave them a substantial raise), censoring our forums, and trying to give the company the ability to reflow our pilots via our EFB are just a couple that come to mind. As you pointed out with the above examples, you don't dare speak up for fear of retaliation. In fact, we had a recent SAPA rep that was very critical of the company and called them and SAPA out regularly. He was labeled as a troublemaker and subsequently fired.

Inc wanted to get ASA and XJT combined, but surprisingly XJT didn't want to give up the good parts of their contract. From my source in SGU, they simply said fine, we just won't give them anymore flying. I don't think they are trying to get XJT out of business but they sure as seem like they would rather give the flying to the side of the house that doesn't have work rule protections. We get paid on some made up number called credit if we come in under block, they can award us 90+ hours each month with minimum days off and SGU uses their creative version of reflow to extend us into days off because it is still the original flight number. There are some good things about SW like the crews and the fact that BB is not the President of our company. But there is an ugly side that the kool aid drinkers refuse to acknowledge.

The simple fact is that INC is giving the flying to the cheap side of the house. ASA/XJT is being whipsawed by someone under their same INC umbrella. There is a reason that INC fought so hard against integrating our pilot groups.

1.5% Plus profit sharing which added about another 3% for me in the second half of 2015. Proud No voter. I would have rather had QOL enhancements that would allow me to hold the trips my seniority should allow. 3 years of not being able to drop a trip and getting loaded with hours each month is getting old. Of course when your NC and EB is all senior folks or people that haven't flown the line for years, you get what they negotiate. The company told them what a great deal they were getting, even if some pilots tried to say otherwise.

Is there still any gap between ground and sims?

I noticed SKW has dropped their minimums for hiring. Get in while it's hot!!

They have been as low as they could go for years now.