1. XYZ Union to unite all or as many Part 121 Groups as possible.

2. Min FO Pay: $100/hr, Min CAPT Pay: $130 The pay scale has influenced furloughs, alter ego airlines and financially forced pilots to stay where they are and unable to change airlines due to first year pay. This also prevents the motivation for Majors to continually grow the regional airlines to 76 seaters just has Delta's MEC just voted to agree to do so for a slight pay increase. The rumors are becoming louder of 100 seaters becoming imminent as well. $230/hr. That is less than a ticket. They can afford it.

3. One Seniority List (which would only affect those unemployed or furloughed. Wherever you currently stand at your airline, you stay. No body can jump in front of you. When a participating airline hires, it interviews the most senior pilot not currently gainfully employed on the list. How compiled is yet to be determined. Possibly first part 121 carrier job hire date or age. Hours and ranking scale of current standings and particular airlines might be too controversial.)

4. How to unite. Participating airlines and pilot groups will select only members from the union for interviews first until all have been exhausted. All new employees not currently in union, will be added. If a future contract negotiation between said airline and its pilot group has not been met, then a strike would be requested for all pilot groups under its holding company's umbrella. (ie: If American Mainline went on strike, all regionals flying for American would go on strike. If Mesaba goes on strike, all pilots under Pinnacle go on strike.) Agree to new pay scale and union list, On the same day all members submit pending letters of resignation if union terms are not accepted. We cannot strike as our government's court might view our modus operandi of either calling in sick or not showing as illegal. If we all quit, there can be not punishment. Any pilot who chooses to work after such d-day, will be indefinitely blackballed.




conclusion: something must be done as the regional airline industry and pay is growing and majors are shrinking leaving no pilot safe. From the most senior pilot at the most prestigious airline, as history tells us, those on top better watch their back too. I am willing to start a stand alone forum to discuss all facets of such union and even set up representative councils from other airlines. Possibly create a meeting somewhere nice, so we don't get to depressed and upset, to discuss. Why a new union? ALPA has failed us over and over and it's time for their reckoning as well. We need this to be as simple and clairvoyant as possible.

 

Sigh......

 

Face Palm......

 

I like the way you think. Don't let high-paid captains intimidate you. Union pay-scales need to be flattened substantially.

You're right. The "Old union ways" are just that; antiques. They have shown themselves weak in the face of the newest forces at the NMB and the 1984 Bankruptcy Act. That being said, if "labor" forces corporations to pay us more, ridership will plummet. Why will ridership plummet? Because ticket prices would have to increase. Since airlines already are losing money hand over first, the costs would have to be returned to the flying public. The only thing that will ever turn this ship in the USA around, is the restoration of the middle-class in the USA. The airlines have been historic "economic indicators". When airlines can and will be able to charge more for a ticket, because they know most Americans can afford it, then they will return to a profitable level, visa vi late 90's. Once profits are possible again, then the language of the RLA allows pilots to share in the profit.

When last I found myself commuting, I told the passengers sitting next to me, "What we airline employees really want to see is you folks getting better. When you guys do better, so do we." I left out the part about ticket prices going up in order to accommodate a better income for airline employees. LoL!

 

Sir You are the one that gets a double face palm! The Pilot cost on the average airline ticket now is less than 8 dollars.....Flatten pay scales further when we are at the lowest pay per ticket cost in history? Moderator this man's post is flamebate....Profits are a function of lease prices far more than labor cost which is at a record low....

 

Profits, sir, are a direct reflection of the ability to generate excess revenue. How does an airline generate revenue? Ticket price. The only reason labor costs are at a "record low" is because companies can't create profit. Loss Leader mania has gripped the industry.

The way you come on so strong is cliche to internet forums. I suggest you turn the nob counter-clock-wise a few notches and back off from "11".

 

Your venom could be misdirected because you might be misunderstanding me. What I mean by "flattening pay-scales" from the union "usual", is widen the bell-curve out with the same total annual pilot salary allocation from the company. Pay-scale disparity is egregious IMHO.

 

Fantasy Island.

 

"Fantasy Island" (Noun) - a 1970's television series created by Gene Levitt wherein visitors to a resort island paradise came to realize a negative cost/benefit analysis for the realization of their dreams. Huh! You know, that's funny you should mention what my career turned into under the astute and watchful eye of antiquated, inflexible, unions. It's rather ironic that every time I see my union rep he's accompanied by the ghost of Herve Villechaize??

 

Enlighten us to your experience and basis for your theory please.