Proposed 7% paycut now for Pinncollaba

(I posted this on another board, but the message should be posted here as well, as I feel this is larger than just a pinnacle issue.)

Why we should not take a pay cut. Why we should vote no!

What are you worth as a pilot?

EVERYONE one working at Pinnacle, or any other airline for that matter, EVERYONE knew that they are entering an industry that is known for extreme ups, and extreme downs. Especially the side of the industry that we are in, the regionals.

No one looking at working at a regional ever said to themselves, "this is forever, I am going to be happy here!".

What happens is that people get cozy with their seniority and dont want to take the pay cut or cut in QOL by moving up to a major like they originally planned.

My point is, we ALL knew what we were getting in to when we signed up for this gig and we all assumed the risks. It is our responsibility to have our own back up plans just in case. Whats the advice we always give to young teens looking to aspire to become pilots? Get a degree in somthing other than aviation, THEN pursue the flying. We cant all be blind to our own advice.

Personally I have a plan B and plan B and a half. Just for situations like this.

In regards to those who are planning on voting yes, I am sure you have your reasons, and you are entitled to your opinion. But here is why you shouldnt.

If we vote yes, we do what pilots before us have done for years. We bow our heads to those who feed our supposed "addiction" to fly.

If we vote yes we bow our heads to those in corporate who are used to the idea of the "Let me fly your jet for free" pilots.

If we vote yes, we are continuing to prostitute, yes prostitute, our hard earned, highly skilled trade out to corporate mis-managment and greed.

As a group of high skilled, well trained, highly capable pilots who take tens of thousands of people from point A to point B safely multiple times a day, WE need to draw a line. because if we dont, we have NO RIGHT to come on to boards like this, go to Nightline, CNN or congress to complain. Because we have been, and would have continued to be the ones to blame.

Our industry treats pilots like dirt because when they shove our face in the sand with pay cuts or say "fly my plane for peanuts", and This is what SM is asking us to do now, those pilots before us said: "yessir, thankyou sir, let me keep flying for poverty wages sir, THANK YOU!"

I for one, say how dare you?
How dare you propose taking 7% away from my salary when I can just barely cover rent for a one bedroom apartment and purchase groceries based on what I make today? Where do you get the audacity to ask that?
How dare you?

I INVESTED close to $45,000 of my hard earned cash to pay for my flight training. It took me 6 years from my intro flight till I got my first regional job (I did not sell out to the first bidder and chose from three that offered me a job). I am not here just so I can get my hands on a shiny plane, be it a CRJ-900, 200, Q400, Saab or Superjumbostratoliner jet. I am here because its what I enjoy doing, and I do it well. It is my CAREER and I deserve to be paid fairly for the level of experience and responsibilty that the position entails.

My 7% did not bring Pinnacle to where it is today.
Coroporate greed did. Management oversight did. Redundant positions, poor scheduling technuiqe, lack of proper preventative maintenance practices, piss poor operations like running IAD with 5 Q400s based there with no reserve crews to back it up or sending crews from MEM to sit reserve in ATL on TDY only to have DTW crews TDY for MEM is what brought Pinnacle to where it is.
And guess what, your 7% is not what got it here either.

Its time to take a stand and set a precedent that I can only hope other regional groups will follow. Look at history, look at how often the pay cuts actually helped and then look at how often then didnt. Look how often the pilots, or any labor group got their pay cuts returned to them...

What are you worth as a pilot? I can assure you it is more than what our industry standard is today, because people before us, in our position bowed their head and sold themselves out to poor managment decisions.

So look at youself in the mirror and honestly ask yourself:
"What is all of my training, skill and experience worth?"

I know what I am worth and with this paycut, pinnacle can't afford my services.

My vote is no.
 
No dog in this fight, but as was said before; FLY SAFE. As always, preflights are incredibly important.
 
Fly safe.

I'll tell you this, when talk of additional pay cuts and bankruptcy were brewing at Southernjets, incidents spiked through the roof.
 
Doug Taylor said:
Fly safe.

I'll tell you this, when talk of additional pay cuts and bankruptcy were brewing at Southernjets, incidents spiked through the roof.
Click to expand...

Not that it has anything to do with the 7%, but we had 2 planes on grass Monday.
 
If pilots suck at what they did as much as the upper management does at some of these companies there would be a lot more plane crashes that for sure. These people are often the most over-educated dumb people I've ever seen.

But at the end of the day big Delta, American, Continental need to take a pay cut? Well it sucks but when a good portion of the pilots make over 150/hr there is a little more of an argument I suppose... but 25/hr regional? Pay to the last day! :)
 
It won't bounce back from 7% after the year is up. It will reopen for negotiation just before that point and stay where it is or get worse. This is just from seeing it happen in other non-aviation industries. Don't give up what you fought for and deserve, don't let them scare you. Bankruptcy won't be a walk in the park, that's true, but your pay will be gone either way. might as well keep making what you can as long as you can.
 
Don't give in! When Comair was dragged into bankruptcy, they were promised new planes and flying if the pilots took a paycut back in 2007. This was under oath in front of a judge. Well do I really need to say what happened next?
 
Oy.

Enjoy it while it lasts ladies. Things will NOT improve anytime soon, so why get paid less for the same brutal torture tactics? Give em' hell.
 
BenZwebner said:
(I posted this on another board, but the message should be posted here as well, as I feel this is larger than just a pinnacle issue.)

Why we should not take a pay cut. Why we should vote no!

What are you worth as a pilot?

EVERYONE one working at Pinnacle, or any other airline for that matter, EVERYONE knew that they are entering an industry that is known for extreme ups, and extreme downs. Especially the side of the industry that we are in, the regionals.

No one looking at working at a regional ever said to themselves, "this is forever, I am going to be happy here!".

What happens is that people get cozy with their seniority and dont want to take the pay cut or cut in QOL by moving up to a major like they originally planned.

My point is, we ALL knew what we were getting in to when we signed up for this gig and we all assumed the risks. It is our responsibility to have our own back up plans just in case. Whats the advice we always give to young teens looking to aspire to become pilots? Get a degree in somthing other than aviation, THEN pursue the flying. We cant all be blind to our own advice.

Personally I have a plan B and plan B and a half. Just for situations like this.

In regards to those who are planning on voting yes, I am sure you have your reasons, and you are entitled to your opinion. But here is why you shouldnt.

If we vote yes, we do what pilots before us have done for years. We bow our heads to those who feed our supposed "addiction" to fly.

If we vote yes we bow our heads to those in corporate who are used to the idea of the "Let me fly your jet for free" pilots.

If we vote yes, we are continuing to prostitute, yes prostitute, our hard earned, highly skilled trade out to corporate mis-managment and greed.

As a group of high skilled, well trained, highly capable pilots who take tens of thousands of people from point A to point B safely multiple times a day, WE need to draw a line. because if we dont, we have NO RIGHT to come on to boards like this, go to Nightline, CNN or congress to complain. Because we have been, and would have continued to be the ones to blame.

Our industry treats pilots like dirt because when they shove our face in the sand with pay cuts or say "fly my plane for peanuts", and This is what SM is asking us to do now, those pilots before us said: "yessir, thankyou sir, let me keep flying for poverty wages sir, THANK YOU!"

I for one, say how dare you?
How dare you propose taking 7% away from my salary when I can just barely cover rent for a one bedroom apartment and purchase groceries based on what I make today? Where do you get the audacity to ask that?
How dare you?

I INVESTED close to $45,000 of my hard earned cash to pay for my flight training. It took me 6 years from my intro flight till I got my first regional job (I did not sell out to the first bidder and chose from three that offered me a job). I am not here just so I can get my hands on a shiny plane, be it a CRJ-900, 200, Q400, Saab or Superjumbostratoliner jet. I am here because its what I enjoy doing, and I do it well. It is my CAREER and I deserve to be paid fairly for the level of experience and responsibilty that the position entails.

My 7% did not bring Pinnacle to where it is today.
Coroporate greed did. Management oversight did. Redundant positions, poor scheduling technuiqe, lack of proper preventative maintenance practices, piss poor operations like running IAD with 5 Q400s based there with no reserve crews to back it up or sending crews from MEM to sit reserve in ATL on TDY only to have DTW crews TDY for MEM is what brought Pinnacle to where it is.
And guess what, your 7% is not what got it here either.

Its time to take a stand and set a precedent that I can only hope other regional groups will follow. Look at history, look at how often the pay cuts actually helped and then look at how often then didnt. Look how often the pilots, or any labor group got their pay cuts returned to them...

What are you worth as a pilot? I can assure you it is more than what our industry standard is today, because people before us, in our position bowed their head and sold themselves out to poor managment decisions.

So look at youself in the mirror and honestly ask yourself:
"What is all of my training, skill and experience worth?"

I know what I am worth and with this paycut, pinnacle can't afford my services.

My vote is no.
Click to expand...

I agree with so much of this post you saved me a Dennis Miller style rant. Instead of beating the death out of this dead horse when the day comes I will just take a screen shot of myself voting NO and turn it into a bumper sticker for my flight case. Just like date rape NO means NO and this more or less is date rape. Coming from the XJ side and seeing how this place is run leaves me more disapointed than I was anticipating. Then again after the beating and whipsawing the 9e pilots have taken for years they are probably not as shocked.
 
<---- not shocked.

I can't wait to turn in my wings. I think I'll cut the sleeves off my jacket and give them my bars as well.
 
I won't even go into the ZW pay cuts back after 03. We didn't get what was promised in return for our pay cuts and we are still working under the concessionary contract even after a judge ruled that our management lied to us to get them in the first place. Again, don't do it!
 
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