QOL @ SKW, now

But A) you left and went to an ALPA carrier and B) You didn't have a looming pilot shortage through those seven years.
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A) I went to a carrier that has a base where I want to live and just happens to be ALPA. The union issue was not a factor in my decision to come to Alaska.
B) We've always been in a pilot shortage. . . just ask Kit Darby :rolleyes:

When attrition triples next year (as in, two to four months) and there are no pilots to hire in from the bottom and management decides to pick up even more flying -- as is the current rumblings, -- guess who is going to be flying 100-hours a month at straight pay with no more "temporary" junior man policy and no minimum 10 days off?
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Good point. I can see some truth to that. Gotta remember, I have been out of the loop for a little over a year now. . .
 
Chris, your avatar is funny. You have the eskimo juxtaposed with the Hawaiian women. I see his lei but he should be green with envy too ;)
 
That's not an eskimo. That's a certain mainline carrier's top seniority flight attendant! ;) :sarcasm:
 
Ophir said:
One thing that sucks is that we don't know what percentage of people we just too apathetic to pick up the phone and what percentage don't want a union. I'd love to have those numbers. Since we don't though, we have to assume that 76% are in favor of "working" with Chip and Brad. That said, let's use that as a tool and tell them we them to respond to their caring letters telling us that we will get more done together aka, "deal me an Ace!".

OH, and let's recall SAPA and get some LEADERSHIP!!!!
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I am also interested in recalling certain EB members. Check your PMs
 
I sure wish SKYW would've voted ALPA in. This is a huge black mark on ALPA's record. The last three attempts at SKYW have failed and the recent Colgan failure.

The sentiment at my base amongst several carriers is the union carriers should/will deny the JS to SKYW guys as "punishment" for showing a complete disregard for ALPA and it's mission, not once but three times. I've personally heard multiple conversations from crew members at several airlines supporting the notion.
 
It would be very unprofessional for the industry to screw over commuters at Skyw soley because the majority of the pilots did not vote for union representation. You want to deny jumpseats, start from the bottom up with regards to pay and QOL. A lot of us came here because it was among the best companies to work for as someone with at least 1000/100. Relatively speaking, we're not whoring ourselves out here.

The js should not be used as an instrument of hate but rather as an opportunity to give a fellow pilot a ride. Just my opinion as a lowly FO.
 
I can agree with that. I personally dont like the idea because I use SKYW to commute as well however the "word" is not to extend a union negotiated benefit to a non-union carrier.
 
E_Dawg said:
It would be very unprofessional for the industry to screw over commuters at Skyw soley because the majority of the pilots did not vote for union representation. You want to deny jumpseats, start from the bottom up with regards to pay and QOL. A lot of us came here because it was among the best companies to work for as someone with at least 1000/100. Relatively speaking, we're not whoring ourselves out here.

The js should not be used as an instrument of hate but rather as an opportunity to give a fellow pilot a ride. Just my opinion as a lowly FO.
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Here's my opinion on that. Give 'em the JS, AND a free education lesson. They might come out thinking you're a bitter and jaded kook.....until reality sets in down the line at some point. What would be CLASSIC is if ASA winds up getting better pay and QOL b/c of their ALPA negotiated contract and Skywest has to tell their people "Yeah, we can't do that for you b/c it takes too much out of profits."
 
kellwolf said:
Here's my opinion on that. Give 'em the JS, AND a free education lesson.
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The time for education is over. In the past decade, the Skywest pilot group has turned down union representation on three separate occasions, and the margin is actually getting worse as time goes by. They simply aren't going to get it.

That said, I don't support a wholesale denial of all Skywest pilots. We know that 34% voted YES, so they deserve to be treated like professionals. But, anyone that admits to voting NO should be immediately denied. They have no place on a union jumpseat, and they deserve no professional courtesy.
 
SkyWest has better pay, QOL, base selection, job stability, schedules, upgrade time, and outlook than 99.99% of the other regionals out there. Southwest has an in-house union, American has an in-house union, both are effective, I say good for SkyWest pilots for not "caving" to peer pressure. At first I was a little miffed they didn't want ALPA but honestly who can blame them? SkyWest is one of the best companies out there as far as regionals go. I'm proud to be where I am but I do kick myself from time to time for turning down the interview.

All of us at the regional level undercut the "big boys" and screwed them big time. None of us have a place to talk, IMO.
 
The difference being that APA and SWAPA aren't basically student councils that roll over when management wants them to. Colgan has an in-house union now, too. Is it a "good for them" b/c they didn't cave, too? You can hardly compare the Skywest union to American's in-house union. One is so in bed with management you can't tell where one ends and the other begins, and the other has drawn a line in the sand daring management to cross it.

The down side is I bet you'll be hard pressed to find a Skywest guy that will say "Yeah, I voted 'no.'" If they're in-house union was strong, there'd be plenty of guys saying "Hell yeah I voted 'no.'" It wasn't a vote for the in-house union, it was a vote against paying 2% in dues for a job people will hopefully not be at more than a few years.

Now, if someone shows me instances where Skywest's in-house union has been effective on fighting management on practices, then I'll re-think my position. Until then, I can't really say they're an "effective" union.
 
kellwolf, just a small correction. SWAPA, APA, NPA, IPA, etc... are all in-house unions, but SAPA, the Colgan Pilot Group, and others are not unions. They are merely in-house "association" or "committees." The NMB doesn't recognize them, so legally they aren't unions. In fact, SAPA will likely be declared by a judge to be illegal as currently set up, because it is entirely funded by management. That decisions should come within the next few months.
 
PCL_128 said:
The time for education is over. In the past decade, the Skywest pilot group has turned down union representation on three separate occasions, and the margin is actually getting worse as time goes by. They simply aren't going to get it.

That said, I don't support a wholesale denial of all Skywest pilots. We know that 34% voted YES, so they deserve to be treated like professionals. But, anyone that admits to voting NO should be immediately denied. They have no place on a union jumpseat, and they deserve no professional courtesy.
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Couple things:

1) Are you so naive to think that more than the tiniest percentage of SkyWest's pilot group have been with the company a decade?

2) The jumpseat belongs to your company, not your union.

3) You be sure to let known your thoughts before you ask for a non-union jumpseat on a SkyWest flight, okey-dokey?

You SkyWest guys ought to start making note by name of anybody who denies you a ride based on who you're employed by.
 
aloft said:
Couple things:

1) Are you so naive to think that more than the tiniest percentage of SkyWest's pilot group have been with the company a decade?
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Doesn't really matter. A no voter is a no voter. I wouldn't give a ride to a Colgan no voter either. Anti-union slime doesn't deserve a free ride on a union jumpseat.

2) The jumpseat belongs to your company, not your union.
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The jumpseat belongs to the Captain, and the right to occupy it was secured by ALPA. Without ALPA, there would be no flight deck jumpseating post-9/11. Captain Woerth barely was able to save jumpseating in the days right after 9/11. Most people in the government wanted to put an end to the practice completely. Just one more thing that ALPA has done for the Skywest pilots, and they contribute nothing to the cause.

3) You be sure to let known your thoughts before you ask for a non-union jumpseat on a SkyWest flight, okey-dokey?
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I won't be asking Skywest pilots for jumpseats anymore, just as I won't ask GoJet, Skybus, , or Virgin America pilots for a jumpseat. If I wouldn't give them a ride, then I won't ask them for one.
 
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