to all usairways pilots

[ONTHESTREET]

You elected your congressman/woman also........So how has he or she helped your interests? Got any call backs lately?

our MEC is operating in closed session so much that I am beginning to wonder if they are showing dirty movies on a daily basis! The general feeling is that they are interested in protecting their own retirements at the expense of anybody junior to them.

A few tidbits as of late.

1. RJ's to Freedom......3 months ago they sent out a letter to all pilots as to why we should not work for freedom. Now they authorize freedom to fly 70 seaters. I guess they really meant Furlougheed U pilots shouldn't work there. Cause that would hurt our retirement

2. MDA....Mid atlantic...all 70 seaters to MDA so the furloughed guys can feed their family. 5 months later........See item #1

3. Wholly owneds.......We need 50 seat RJ's need to get rid of the turbo props that the pax hate. Pilots OK here are 140 more to replaced the tp's (Pre 9-11) Result.......more rj's not a single one at any WO. And it looks like never.

4. Insurance for furloughed guys...... Membership voted it in...(I thank all of you who did.) Only problem was they failed to mention that if your spouse worked (Benefits or not) you were not covered. MEC did nothing to correct the problem (To my knowledge) The official response many of us got was Sorry

5. Communication......Just try to get an ALPA guy on the phone.....for anything!!!

These are just a few items that I observed in the last year or so. Maybe they are truly working on a master plan that will save this company and its pilots..............So far they seem about as effective as congress.......except instead of taxes the pilot group has concessions. Sounds like the IAM has the same game plan.

Next time how about we hire some AFA reps to go to bat for us! They have proved themselves to be pit-bulls over the years!!

 

[ONTHESTREET]

Oh I forgot....No productivity increases with furloughees on the street!! See latest press release.

and how about US2 is a great deal....you will make a bundle in stock options!! Hmmmm that must account for all the rich ex-MetroJet pilots.

Etc...Etc...Etc....

Don't get me wrong, I loved flying for U. The pilot group is first rate and a good bunch (Mostly) My view of the MEC began to change when we had guys on B scale (US2) and an MEC guy on the crew bus went into this dissertation about how reserve needed to be changed because of etc etc etc.... I was on res at the time and found it to be not too bad. Compared to other reserve systems that I encountered. He did not like my answer. I told him my biggest gripe was flying 95 hours a month, while making less than a guy flying 85 hours a month on the same plane. (I guess red paint doesn't pay as much.....Dang my color blindness) This MEC guy quickly started to convince me that I should support the reserve thing. I later found out he just went to the 757 and was back on reserve.

I saw that as nothing but self serving. No interest in what the pilots really wanted....only what would make his life easier. I see the MEC doing the same thing now.

Just my opinion.

 

[propjok]

i dont know how your mec is but at least ours after some house cleaning is not all that bad know at least they listen to us some of the time. i believe that you cab recall any individual you want we pretty much did with our mec chairman (made him quit before it got really ugly). if you want us to stop blaming you guys for our predicament then show us a reason we should every thing that you say you guys did is news to us. all we know is what we see evrytime i get a mainline jumpseater all i hear is how much they want us to get the rjs, how they are not going to vote for anything that gives them away, but all we see is how they vote them away the first chance they get. i hope you like your corp. job we will probably be joing you there soon enough.

 

[TBONEJ4J]

I am tired of some jag-off blaming me and the rest of the mainline pilots for not getting to fly a jet. We have about as much control over our MEC as you do. We are being outsourced, mainline and WO's and the best you can come up with is to blame me?!


OnTheStreet,

I can assure you that wholly-owned pilots couldn't care less about flying a 'Jet'. This is about Jobs, regardless of aircraft type. Wholly-Owned TurboProps are to be parked as MESA and Freedom experience rapid expansion. PDT, ALG and PSA will not simply contract and furlough, they will be eliminated. Consider that a vast number of wholly-owned pilots make a very modest but livable income, with reasonable work rules. PDT, ALG and PSA are not simply stepping stones to the right seat of the almighty RJ, they are career airlines for many. As things stand now, it is the wholly owned flying that is to be 100% outsourced, a far greater percentage than any previous outsourcing of mainline flying!

Wholly-Owneds have no power. The mainline MEC has rubbed their faces in the dirt time and time again, with the latest insult being the blessing of the expansion of the union-busting Freedom Airlines. Is it any wonder that wholly-owned pilots are furious that their companies are to be eliminated, because neither ALPA nor Management gives a damn?

I realise that the Junior US pilots have been severely screwed by the Senior guys and that you are now on the street unable to do anything about it. But, you display their arrogance when you refer to a 'snot-nosed 23ish pdt pilot'. Perhaps it is airline pilots never ending capacity to look down their noses at those flying different equipment or with less seniority that has created this whole mess in the first place.

 

[exagony]

Mainline USScare attitude - 2 ML U pilots jumpseating on my a/c - talked down to us and never thanked us for the ride - typical mainline maggot attitude. I used to work for U but jumped as the rats started to abandon ship - best move of my career - sure its a big paycut but at least I'll have a job come Easter. Having said that, back in early 2000 ( not exactly sure what month) U mainline was voting whether to allow the WO's to get RJ's on the property, I had a ML maggot in my jumpseat who told me the WO pilots are not good enough and not qualified to fly jets - I did the only reasonable thing any pilot would do, I returned to the gate and threw his a*# off my a/c. I made sure I flew this route as much as possible to ensure that his commute to work would be hell. ML pilots and their attitudes suck for the most part. Granted there are a few who are pretty cool but for the ones I dealt with their condecending, holier than thou attitude is the cause of their own demise. Another example of the ML U ignorance. Jumpseating on the shuttle from LGA to BOS ( prior to the days when you can basically have the whole a/c to yourself) the ML pilot asked me how I liked flying our new RJs. I told him we didn't have any at the WO's, he replied what do you mean aren't Mesa and ****taqua WO's. This maggot had no idea who the U WO's are. This was typical at U mainline until they decided to engage in extortion and blackmail (ie J4J). As for all the jobs the preferential hiring got us, I only know of maybe 5 pilots at my former WO that got hired on to ML. Yet I know of plenty of politically correct (read non white/female) pilots who got hired on with much less experience/time than some of the pilots at the WO's who couldn't get a job. Not trying to start a racial/sex arguement, just pointing out that our brothers at U really looked out for their fellow employees at the WO's. For the guys on the bottom of U's senority list - I feel bad for you, blame your brother and sister pilots at U for hanging you out to dry. For all you bleeding heart Dems - thank uncle Bill and Monica for their hard and probing search for good ol Osama - OBL didn't cause your current demise, granted he hastened it, but U's problems were in place a long time before 9-11. Finally, again for all the bleeding heart cigar loving, stained dress, lovers out there. U has a responsibility to its share holders - not to its employees. By treating its employees with respect and rewarding them for their hard work (which U has a hard time doing)is just good business. U owes you no more than a paycheck. The reason the government wants to bail the airlines out and not the individual employee is because the airline creates jobs, which in turn (at least in theory) creates revenue which in turn helps keep the economy running. The individual is employed at the leisure of the company, not the other way around. U has a poor history of looking out for its people. Just because the govt wants to help bail out airlines has to do more with the big picture of keeping people employed - its not an anti-union thing like some of you gimme gimme gimme Dems think it is.

 

[Winglet]

I had a ML maggot in my jumpseat who told me the WO pilots are not good enough and not qualified to fly jets - I did the only reasonable thing any pilot would do, I returned to the gate and threw his a*# off my a/c.


As you were pulling back into the gate, did you tell this guy that anyone as STUPID as he was shouldn't be allowed out in public unsupervised?

 

[N786P]

Hey Prop-Jerk....maybe you should start taking some Baby Asprins ..sounds like this aviation stuff is alittle much for you... get your toys...moma is calling time to take your nap.

 

[ONTHESTREET]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 12/4/2002 954 PM propjok wrote:

i hope you like your corp. job we will probably be joing you there soon enough.
----------------
[/blockquote]

Its not too bad, Not as good as Mainline but better than the regionals. Some of the corp stuff bites, but if you look around you can find a good one that is fun. There are a lot of companies out there trying to pay peanuts for the job but if you present yourself right and don't jump on the first job you find you can find one that pays pretty good.


As to the Snot Nosed comment, it had nothing to do with WO or regional pilots. I was commenting directly about this particular young mans attitude. I am positive he does not act this way when flying the line. 90% of the Captains that I know, ML and WO, would throw him off the A/C before the first day was completed.

My comment about Beginning to dislike WO's was in bad taste. I let a small # of disgruntled people on this board sway my opinion. I know for a fact that the majority the WO's are very professional and competent.

To all the disgruntled ones out there, I will continue to support the WO's and will try to help them out when I can. As will most of the other ML pilots. We have bad apples just like you guys do.......And just like you do, we remember the names of all of them. I will not help out the bad apples of the bunch. The good ones however, will have my full support. I still owe several guys big time who helped me out in my career, what comes around goes around.

 

[autofixer]

propjok, YOU ARE AN IDIOT!!! Wolf forced the parity plus 1 % on the mainline pilot group! We did not want it, because we thougt it would bring us pay cuts!!!

As far as being a captain, big deal. I have been an aircraft commander in 2 diffent conflicts (I have 2 air medals to prove it plus some other medals I have never seen). I have been a 737-300 captain for 1 1/2, before 9-11. It is easy. Shut up cry baby. You and your kind are why I am getting out of the industry, along with poor managment.

 

[propjok]

actually i am a capatin. have been a capt. since i was 25. go stick that in your pipe and smoke it. you now all i did was post my opinion. you want to call me names go ahead i'd be carefull do you might need my jumpseat soon so i would watch what you say. like i said you guys brought this all on yourselfs buy demanding such huge pay and benefits. now the time has come to finally come off your high horse and actually get paid a normal paycheck. we make a 10th of what you do and we work twice as much. so keep your corp job and do us all a favor stay out of aviation for good.

 

[A320 Driver]

How in the WORLD did you make it to the left seat with your literary skills? You must be some pilot propjok. As for your jumpseat...keep it. I'd rather walk.

A320 Driver

 

[Furloughedagain]

Dear Propjok,

No problem at all. We wouldnt want to burden you by forcing you to carry any mainline pilots in your jumpseat. If you would simply post your name, we will be more than happy to post it throughout the network to ensure that you do not need to carry that burden -- and, of course, that the favor is returned.

While we're at it we could forward it to human resources to ensure that you never suffer the indignity of working for US Airways should they ever hire again.

Its a small industry propjok -- if you're going to burn bridges you had better make sure you're ready to clean up the ashes.

 

[flyin2low]

Propjok, leave the jumpseat shenannagans out of it. By attempting to refuse your seat because of the company a pilot works for is simply wrong. Please grow up. NOW. [BR][BR]Choose another way to fight your battles. Hoefully your name will come through our ALPA J/S committe in the very near future.

 

[regdog]

Well on that note, if one of you son-of-a-guns gets on my plane and asks, when are you getting jets I will surely refuse the seat. I know very well a senior,30+ capt at mainline who is very sympathetic to both sides and has taken 1/2 salary paycut plus retirement. So this is only aimed at you bastards who have no CLASS and pick fights at layovers, and insult us while jumpseating, GET A LIFE, you are NOT all that. And yes, a mainline pig did say that to my crew on our plane while attempting to jumpseat, and I did not deny.........but will next time.

 

[autofixer]

regdog, Maybe he was just ignorant. It is possible with all of the confusion at U he/she has no idea about what is going on. Most mainline pilots have no idea what is in the contract let alone what is going on around them.