If I were you I'd be REALLY nice to your F/As. Its due to THEIR Union contract that YOU get some of the bennies you do get (i.e. hotels, for one thing).
They are the reason why our per diem went up 5cent an hour.
If you work on the US Air or United side of Colgan your travel benefits aren't so bad so it's not just Colgan that's to blame. I think we do have "beef" with CAL. They're just not as employee friendly as other airlines. Do they realize that a company will be more successful when workers aren't going to work all disgruntled.
Not to defend Colgan management but it's really not in their greatest interest to get stuff like that for us. We have to step up somehow and make it a priority before we can expect things to get done.
I remember a time when EWR had all day trips. We bitched and complained and it's much better now. So next time Buddy comes back to town please say something. I have.
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Yep. Just another benefit of working for a non-Union pilot group.
Well our hotels are nothing to brag about. What's a decent overnight that you know of? YUL on the highway or the BDL roach motel?
We're in a better position to make ourselves a decent place to work for with decent work rules and to negotiate all the perks that we deserve.
I think it will happen. People will look upon us with respect instead of looking at that airline who was too ignorant to vote in ALPA back in 2007 and is flying 74 seat airplanes for less than the 50 seat guys.
Point being when ALPA is implemented don't think that's the end of it. Put the pressure on those guys. Let them know that they can as easily be voted out as they were voted in. Colgan's no longer a stepping stool to the majors. We're gonna be here a while so let's make sure it getts better fast.
And that 5 cent an hour put me in a higher tax scale that now costs me twice as much. (just kidding, I haven't paid taxes in years)
They are the reason why our per diem went up 5cent an hour.
I take so much offense to this it's not even funny. I love everything about that hotel, especially the night life. Rob the manager kicks major A$$. This is by far the best hotel and overnight that colgan has.
They increased pilots, just because it was cheaper then having to run two seperat per diem rates and reports.
We complained so much, that I hear they've changed hotels, and the one we're now using (the name escapes me) is decent.
Hey, thanks for the info! Unfortunately, we stay out in the middle of nowhere on most of our overnights (at least on the overnights I've done).
I have to admit, though, that our hotels HAVE gotten better since I started almost a year ago. In fact, we stayed at a nasty one, the Bayside Inn (I think) in CMH, and it was a dive. It was the first month we flew there and I had the "pleasure" of overnighting 3 Saturdays in a row. We complained so much, that I hear they've changed hotels, and the one we're now using (the name escapes me) is decent.
It's all part of the compensation and can be negotiated like anything else.
I may have heard this wrong, but it's my understanding Chelsea flies SA2 (or whatever is one step above xjet), because they really wanted it and were willing to give up something else for it. Everything has a dollar value.
Regular Chelsea employees are infact SA3.
However......anyone that is a 'manager' travels as a SA2......and.....Chelsea has the highest percentage of 'managers' of any CAL held company.