SkyWest Pilots and Flight Attendants Organizing

mrivc211 said:
How about all you pro union guys stand up and support this effort in a positive way. It is being organized at the grass roots level by one of JC's very own(no not me this time).

www.skywestpilots.org - PILOTS


http://twuskywest.org/home/tabid/1036/vw/1/itemid/2/welcome-skywest-flight-attendants.aspx - Flight Attendants
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Most if not all other regional airlines are unionized and everyone is always talking about how crappy their work rules and pay are.. Skywest isn't god's gift to pilots but at least you don't have to pay union dues.
 
2% of my pay is not much to pay for the protection I get in return. Do you know what it costs to hire an attorney to get your medical or license back if you lose it? 2% of my pay is roughly $2,000/yr. I will gladly see that back in better work rules, like a better minimum daily guarantee of 5 hours, minimum rest of 10 hours behind the door, a trip rig and more. Pay rates don't mean squat with out good work rules. You could have the highest pay rates in the industry and still make significantly less than other airline pilots that make less/hr but have better work rules. How about better uniform allotement? An allowance for dry cleaning? New Headsets? An overnight bag? All these little things add up to a whole lot of things.
 
Starship said:
Most if not all other regional airlines are unionized and everyone is always talking about how crappy their work rules and pay are.. Skywest isn't god's gift to pilots but at least you don't have to pay union dues.
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Actually the "good" regionals have decent pay, and good work rules. Ask any Colgan pilot now how they are liking their new contract.

And yea, the $20 that came out of my paycheck was a real hardship considering now I pay 50% less than what I did before for health and insurance, got a nice raise, min day pay, very good work rules, a bump in per diem, and sooooooo much more.
 
Starship said:
Most if not all other regional airlines are unionized and everyone is always talking about how crappy their work rules and pay are.. Skywest isn't god's gift to pilots but at least you don't have to pay union dues.
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Pretend you're 5% in the right seat and you've been waiting for a captain upgrade slot for 2-3 years but just can't quite get one.

A contract suddenly increases the number of pilots needed and you upgrade.

Worth paying dues?
 
I've said it before, and I'll say it again; Union dues are well worth the money even if you don't believe in unionism. Think of it as "oh crap" insurance. Suppose you slide off the end or side of a runway some day through no fault of your own. If you aren't in a union and don't pay dues, you are on your own. If the company decides they didn't like how you handled things, you could be fired - even if it literally was not your fault. You can hire an attorney and fight the firing; "good luck!"

If you have been paying union dues, your representation is covered and the company can't arbitrarily fire you. All of your legal proceedings will be covered by the union.

Does that mean you won't ever be fired? No, but at least you will have a knowledgeable and resourceful entity backing you up at no additional cost to you.

It's their job to be your advocate, and they take it very seriously!

Seems like a no-brainer to me...

Kevin
 
mrivc211 said:
2% of my pay is not much to pay for the protection I get in return. Do you know what it costs to hire an attorney to get your medical or license back if you lose it? 2% of my pay is roughly $2,000/yr. I will gladly see that back in better work rules, like a better minimum daily guarantee of 5 hours, minimum rest of 10 hours behind the door, a trip rig and more. Pay rates don't mean squat with out good work rules. You could have the highest pay rates in the industry and still make significantly less than other airline pilots that make less/hr but have better work rules. How about better uniform allotement? An allowance for dry cleaning? New Headsets? An overnight bag? All these little things add up to a whole lot of things.
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2k@2%? You make 100k at a regional? Where is this? I must submit a resume.
 
Any 10 year captain at xjt, asa, air wisconsin, beagle, skywest or horizon should be able to break six figures.
 
z987k said:
2k@2%? You make 100k at a regional? Where is this? I must submit a resume.
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Pilots have been making six figures at regionals for a long time now, dating back to the '90s for a few airlines. Now, you won't do it just making guarantee, but if you credit 85+ hours, which isn't too difficult at these carriers, then breaking the six figure barrier isn't too difficult.
 
As a business owner I'm pretty solidly against unions - they aren't in my best interest. As an airline pilot (regional or mainline) I think I would rival ATN, Surreal, and Seggy in my pro-union feelings...for the exact same reasons - it is in my best interest.

One thing I've thought and wondered: My THOUGHT (uneducated opinion) is that ALPA (and other unions - SWAPA, APA, IPA to some extent, with ALPA help) have furthered the cause of safety. This is a hypothesis and not based on hard knowledge on my part but rather a "hunch".

Question: Forget the obvious benefits of job-security issues/pay for a moment (although they certainly can have a piece of mind/happiness safety quotient) - can any of the union wizards on the thread tell me: a) what safety advances have occurred largely because of ALPA/Unions and b) has there been a study made of incidents and accidents both "pre" and "post" unionization of a carrier? If so, what do those studies show? Further, if you dig deeper into the data are there efficiencies that occur in terms of training events (fewer failures/better performance = lowered training costs) or any other operational improvements that can occur after a union is brought onto the property?
 
WacoFan said:
As a business owner I'm pretty solidly against unions - they aren't in my best interest. As an airline pilot (regional or mainline) I think I would rival ATN, Surreal, and Seggy in my pro-union feelings...for the exact same reasons - it is in my best interest.

One thing I've thought and wondered: My THOUGHT (uneducated opinion) is that ALPA (and other unions - SWAPA, APA, IPA to some extent, with ALPA help) have furthered the cause of safety. This is a hypothesis and not based on hard knowledge on my part but rather a "hunch".

Question: Forget the obvious benefits of job-security issues/pay for a moment (although they certainly can have a piece of mind/happiness safety quotient) - can any of the union wizards on the thread tell me: a) what safety advances have occurred largely because of ALPA/Unions and b) has there been a study made of incidents and accidents both "pre" and "post" unionization of a carrier? If so, what do those studies show? Further, if you dig deeper into the data are there efficiencies that occur in terms of training events (fewer failures/better performance = lowered training costs) or any other operational improvements that can occur after a union is brought onto the property?
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Have you read read Flying The Line I and II? If not, PM me your address and I'll mail them to you, it'll blow your mind.
 
WacoFan said:
One thing I've thought and wondered: My THOUGHT (uneducated opinion) is that ALPA (and other unions - SWAPA, APA, IPA to some extent, with ALPA help) have furthered the cause of safety. This is a hypothesis and not based on hard knowledge on my part but rather a "hunch".
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Pretty much every alphabet soup program related to aviation safety (TCAS, GPWS, ASAP, FOQA, LLWS etc) came about because of ALPA pushing for it in the wake of a incident. These programs aren't cheap and as most people know, it's often times cheaper for a company to pay the costs of an accident than invest in ways of preventing it. It took ALPA (and other Unions as well, but mostly ALPA) to make these programs happen.
 
BobDDuck said:
Pretty much every alphabet soup program related to aviation safety (TCAS, GPWS, ASAP, FOQA, LLWS etc) came about because of ALPA pushing for it in the wake of a incident. These programs aren't cheap and as most people know, it's often times cheaper for a company to pay the costs of an accident than invest in ways of preventing it. It took ALPA (and other Unions as well, but mostly ALPA) to make these programs happen.
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CRAP! That's why we still don't have CrewPass working yet. We need to give it an acronym! FUTSA?
 
Baronman said:
CRAP! That's why we still don't have CrewPass working yet. We need to give it an acronym! FUTSA?
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Speak for yourself... I will be enjoying the benefits of crewpass at BWI tomorrow. The downside of course is that it will be at 4:45am tomorrow.
 
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