Excellent write-up.

 

At some point in your career, I'm sure you will learn that every airline has it's weenies. I won't bore you with the stories of your regional brethren's follies and poor treatment I've collected over the last 20 years. Personally, I don't think the jumpseat is a place to air differences, and I always do the walk to make sure everyone gets on, bags are stowed in the cockpit, and the rider is welcome - regardless of what airline he/she comes from. It's truly too bad that you get some cruddy treatment on the j/s, but JOIN THE CLUB. It's unfortunately part of commuting; something I've accepted long ago. As for the UAL and CAL pilots being unprofessional, perhaps you'd be more comfortable staying at whatever regional you are at then. Of course we have our 1% "Tootle"s, but I've been flying with this pilot group for a LONG time, and the professionalism I've seen in the face of Ch 11, furloughs, bumps, paycuts, outsourcing, 9/11, losing houses, divorces, etc. is something that demands your respect. I don't know your personal story, but as an EMB Captain I'm guessing that you have had a rocket ride up to your spot thanks to the very same forces that I've listed above that have tested the every fiber of the pilots you so snarkily dismiss as "unprofessional". Going through the past decade of unprecedented hell without killing anybody is a immense feat of concentration and the very definition of professionalism.

The below is not directed at specifically you, but all the RJ drivers who come over here the UAL thread to throw the standard "You guys gave scope away, so you have no one to blame but yourselves" or "Tighten up scope so that I can get out of here" arrows but then immediately go over to the RJ threads to excitedly work out who is getting the new DAL CRJ900's.

I'm posting this once (again) because I'm sick of wasting my valuable time typing this out. I won't be bothering to respond as my schedule is 4 on, 1 off, 6 on, 1 off, 6 on, 1 off, 3 on... all-nighter every trip. That's what 20 years in the business gets you these days at the majors. And yes, I will most likely be calling in fatigued (second time in 2 months) and dropping some of that without pay.

The repetitive RJ Driver mantras listed above are overly simplistic to be credibly repeated... yet that doesn't stop you. The vote in 1995 was a result of lies told by our MEC Chair and the Company. I was in the room listening to it. You weren't, so don't try to second guess me. The vote in 2000 is the one that seems to have everyone twisted all around. I would take that Scope clause in a heartbeat now! UAL was DOUBLE the size that it is now, making money, and growing like a weed. Limited 70 seat RJ's was standard at the majors at the time. Even with the inclusion of the scope clause, it was THE BEST contract in the history of ALPA. Don't think so? Go ask the airline to re-instate C2000 INCLUDING the scope clause and see what the reaction is. You poo poo it as a bad deal, but it wasn't. It was a great contract that we will probably never see again.

9/11

Ch 11

That is where the damage was done. UAL was, by most accounts, 72 hours from liquidation at one point. The judge was rubber stamping every request the company made, as they were fighting for survival. The choice was accept an 1113c decision from this same judge, or accept the hideous scope that we now see ourselves sucking on. Do you know what section 1 looked like in the 1113c? There was none. No scope. And while you are focused on RJ's because you are short sighted, we are fighting the Death Star and joint ventures with Aer Lingus. Make no mistake about it, our management doesn't want to have UAL pilots flying airplanes. They want Skywest pilots and new hire replacements off the street flying Aer Lingus airplanes.

So here we are. UAL pilots have suffered mightily for a decade under a Ch 11 contract and an oppressive management hell bent on shrinking UAL to a holding company. Express pilots (you) have enjoyed a run of good fortune and opportunity not seen since the off-the-street hiring of the 70's. And yet that is not enough for you. You must come on here and complain that somehow we must do more.... not for ourselves or our furloughed brothers and sisters who have borne the WORST of the fortune, but for YOU so YOU can move on from your RJ. As if somehow we owe you something. Make no mistake about it, YOU have benefitted the most from our misfortune. It wasn't long ago that pilots would spend several THOUSAND hours flight instructing for $10k a year before FINALLY make it to "the big show"... middle of the night cargo flying $14k a year. They would do that for several more years, and finally accrue the 5000 hours or so it took to make it to a regional carrier where they were met with a 19 seat turboprop with no flight attendant and no autopilot. Now, the regionals are having a heck of a time filling their 70 seat jets because they are running out of applicants with the MINIMUM times. So, no, I don't feel particularly sorry for your "hardship".

Lastly, I get to read once a day from some RJ driver (quite frequently non-union... happy to let everyone else pay their 2% and do the work to raise the bar so that their management can match it in order to keep the union off the property) how we need to "fix scope, and do something about it". Have you people absolutely NO IDEA how this industry works? WAKE UP. The sooner you realize that the deck is SQUARELY stacked against you in this business, the better. The RLA makes it almost IMPOSSIBLE to get any legal relief. Have you been missing the begging, pleading, and 99% strike vote over here?? 99% of us would WELCOME the opportunity to remove our service (legally) to fix our Ch 11 scope clause. If we had our way, we would immediately park all the CRJ700's and put thousands of you out of a job. Unless and until the NMB releases us, our hands are tied. In case you missed it, it's an election year. So, as I asked another poster, what do you suggest? Summer of 2000 part II? Perhaps you missed the injunction that the company won against us, using posts from THIS BOARD to prove illegal disruption of the operation? If we are dragged back into court and they can show similar tactics were used, what do you think the chances are of getting a new contract? Perhaps you missed that our management is enjoying some of the lowest labor costs in the industry? Do you think they are willing to just give that up until they HAVE to???

Again, I ask ALL the RJ drivers who constantly suggest we "do something to fix scope", what exactly do you suggest? Do you really think that we haven't/aren't willing to do EVERYTHING we legally can to get a new contract? I believe the 99% strike vote should tell you if we are ready/willing. Oh, and by the way, YOU only care about Scope. Of course, in YOUR contracts its ok to talk about pay, workrules, retirement, vacation, etc. etc. But if WE express concern about those things, we are accused of "selling out".

You can keep snarking all you want. Frankly, I don't care what you think and what you want. The vast majority of you have had it easier than almost any group of pilots in the history of aviation. Your complaints ring hollow.

 

Gettinbumped, that is an excellent post.

 

Well done....required reading for every replacement jet pilot.

 

This is known as the "I'm Banging Your Wife And It Is All Your Fault" defense.

 

Great post gettinbumped!

 

gettinbumped,

I ALWAYS liked reading, as well respected your posts on here. You (used) to seem like one of the guys that had the big picture of what the real problem is with this career/industry. I'll say it again 1)Airline management and 2)ANY pilot that doesn't think scope is important. And I THOUGHT we hashed it all out here, I WON'T bother typing it ALL again;

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ca...ml#post1164528

Not ALL regional pilots are the same, not ALL regional pilots have had a darling rising star career, etc. Many of us, to include EMBflyer can't wait to GTFO of the regional world. Because what used to be a shorts means to reaching the endgame has turned into a rather lengthy means to an endgame.

I'd LOVE to fly with you if we ever had the chance and you seem pretty wise, etc. And contrary to how you ended you post I linked to, I'd buy the first round. But then again, after the crap I've been through, I'm not some 20 something SJS expensive college grad with 6 figure student loan and I'm pretty sure I could afford it.

I put the smiley face after the b1tching comment to imply it wasn't malicious BTW.

Cheers.

 

I say toodles all the time, what's wrong with that. Sorry it screws up your day.

 

Yes, but you most likely don't have a whiney, high-pitched, nasally, nails-on-a-chalkboard, make-me-want-to-rip-my-ears-off voice.

 

But is she hot?
Or is it just another sad, empty kitchen out there.. somewhere..

LOL
Motch

PS> Just kidding, to all my female pilot friends out there~