Letter from ALPA President

Airdale

Airdale

Well-Known Member
I don't think this is crossing the line posting this here, but if it is just let me know.

I think this is the best letter from ALPA I've received yet. Rock the Vote!! :rawk:

August 1, 2007



Dear Fellow Pilot:



As we expected, Colgan pilots are now receiving a stream of communications from management, far more than any of you have received in a number of years. The message is also not surprising—“Trust us…we will take care of you. Don’t let a union come between us.”



Best wishes and goodwill are nice, but they provide little protection for your job and career. You are now owned by Pinnacle. Was any pilot consulted about the sale of Colgan to Pinnacle before the deal was closed? What sort of protection for your jobs, wages, or benefits—if any—is in the sales agreement? Or did the owners just do what all owners in this industry do—maximize their profits and return on investment?



Your management suggests that having a collective bargaining agreement governing its relations with you will somehow destroy the “family” you are now part of. As I’m sure most of you know, today’s airline industry is not a family affair, at least not for employees. Companies are flipped, merged, purchased and restructured on a monthly basis to increase profits for those who own them. If jobs are lost or wages are cut in the process, that is the price that employees must pay unless there is a legally binding commitment preventing such a result. Owners and managers understand this and do not rely on family loyalty when it comes to themselves; instead almost all have contracts with the corporations they service dictating wages, bonuses, stock options and—in recognition of the fact that they may be here today and gone tomorrow—severance.



Better than ninety percent of airline pilots are covered by collective bargaining agreements and the majority of those agreements are negotiated and administered by ALPA. This includes every carrier you feed as well as the pilots in the other parts of the Pinnacle “family”. ALPA members and the pilots they elect as their representatives regularly get together to discuss and resolve issues that affect our profession, from safety and security issues to reaching common goals in collective bargaining. That’s what it means to part of the ALPA pilot family.



In a deregulated, post 9/11 world, the vast majority of professional pilots understand that goodwill is not a substitute for a solid agreement backed by an organization with the resources to enforce it. These pilots also understand that when they must face the FAA, the TSA, or Customs, their employer’s best wishes are no substitute for the professional representation available from the ALPA legal, safety, or medical departments.



You can choose to stake your future on the Colgan “family” now controlled by Pinnacle. Or you can choose to have a voice in your future at Colgan and in the pilot profession by joining the family of ALPA professionals. The decision is yours, but the choice of the vast majority of your colleagues throughout the profession is clear.



The ballots are now out – I encourage you to cast your vote for ALPA. The voting period started July 31 and will run until August 21. To find out more information, please visit www.alpa.org/colgan.



Fraternally,




Capt. John Prater

President
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Best of luck on the vote to our brothers and sisters at Colgan! Our vote isn't too far down the road methinks.
 
I agree, great letter. ALPA really is a great resource for airline pilots. I hope Colgan pilots join the team and have the opportunity to take advantage of all the resources available.

Good Luck
 
Good luck to all fellow Colgan pilots! XJT is supporting you 100%! For those that will be in LGA on the 8/10 and BOS the 11th, I'll be there to support you guys.
 
Would there have been an ALPA movement at Colgan if PCL had NOT purchased them?
 
killbilly said:
Would there have been an ALPA movement at Colgan if PCL had NOT purchased them?
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Good question, and I think the answer would have been eventually. Not because the Colgans run a bad operation, but just compare our pay scale to others. Sooner or later they gotta raise the bar here, because the pilots that work here work hard. Most pilots go out of their way, on their off day even, to help the company out and be a team player. I think we deserve to be paid more then what we do. Granted we're not the bottom of the barrel, but we are sure as hell close.

The most important thing I hope to see with ALPA, is a strong lobby towards raising pay, especially on the Q400. The sale to PCL just accelerated the ALPA movement I believe.
 
It is not just the simple payrate Airdale. It is WORK RULES, WORK RULES, WORK RULES.
 
Seggy said:
It is not just the simple payrate Airdale. It is WORK RULES, WORK RULES, WORK RULES.
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When I want your opinion - I'll give it to you!




















:D

I agree, work rules are very important. I'd like to see a few changes in that department as well. Money in the pocket and time off. Thats what its all about.
 
you two are kinks from the dirty jersery. i should have known. there def is something in the water there. :)
 
ERfly said:
Good luck to all fellow Colgan pilots! XJT is supporting you 100%! For those that will be in LGA on the 8/10 and BOS the 11th, I'll be there to support you guys.
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I'll be in LGA on 8/10......look forward to meeting you! I 'should' be there around 1600.
 
Airdale said:
Not because the Colgans run a bad operation,
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I don't think you work for the same Colgan I did. Mark's right...Work Rules are everything!!!


Cruise said:
I'll be in LGA on 8/10......look forward to meeting you! I 'should' be there around 1600.
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Not sure when I'll be there, still waiting the details from National and our own MEC chairman. As of right now, I think I'm flying up the 9th. LGA is a long way from SNA.
 
ERfly said:
I don't think you work for the same Colgan I did. Mark's right...Work Rules are everything!!!
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Well, I'm still considered an FNG on most accounts. I've got nothing to compare it too. Getting pulled off of your line to sit reserve, ferry and airplane, spend 12 hours on duty for a 3hr pay credit is ridiculous. If stuff like that changes, that would be awesome. For me, its money in the pocket and time off with the wife - both of which are lacking. I don't have any experience with how the airline job is supposed to work, just an idea of what type of pay for this stuff is fair.

Mark knows best and I told him that from day one. I chose to support those guys early on, not knowing what I was getting into. Everyday I see more and more the reasons why we need ALPA. I don't know all the reasons, but taking home $1k a month for the hours that I spend working here is just stupid. Thats the biggest kicker I see. Whether its work rules or pay, hopefully something good will come. I like it here though. Most people are great, the flying is challenging and at times exciting and I really think this company is on to something with their Turbo Prop philosophy. I really see the Q spreading across the market to other code shares. This company is just a few hops away from being a great place to work. :)
 
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