I am a furloughed u pilot and ex W/O pilot. I have seen the rj issue from both sides of the fence.
I do not see this as a loss for ALPA. I do not agree with some of the thing ALPA has done but I feel that they are on target with this item.
The contract abuse and wholesale gutting of the mainline and transfer of flying to the regionals (Mesa) has got to be stopped. Since arriving with usair group I have seen the "regional jet" evolve into a "small jet" to a "medium small jet" to a "large small jet", the companies terms.
We now have what amounts to F-100''s and DC-9''s flying under the veil of "Regional jets" This would not be a problem if all these 70 and 90 seaters were not replacing dc-9''s and 737''s but they are. No one would have a problem with them flown on mainline.
I know all the W/O guys are going to jump all over me, but in the long run this is the best thing for them also. Unless they went to the regionals with the intention of spending their entire career there. I am sure there are a few that fall in this catagory, but I have never met one.
If ALPA, and the rest of the unions, lets this happen then the career of airline pilot will not be worth spit in the near future. And I doubt that there are many people that will endure 10 years of school and working thru the ranks for regional payscales.
Make no mistake, if we let this come to fruition the MESA payscale will be the norm not the horrible exception.
I have a buddy at Skywest, he came to visit and was talking about how they just signed a new contract to fly the 50 70 and 90 seat rj all for the same rate! I was flabbergasted, They actually signed a contract to fly up to 159 seats (give or take a few) all for 50 seat rj pay! Thay had been fed so much bull honkey from their company about how all the majors are flying all types for the same pay now.(75/76, airbus 319,320,321 etc.) That they actually started to believe it. I pointed out that they had just agreed to fly a 757 for 50 seat RJ rates. He grew quiet about the subject then.
So to all the pilots who still think that 70 and 90 seat rjs should be flown by whoever for whatever rates, just remenber, there is a good chance that when you finally move from your rj to a 757, you wont be getting a pay raise.
This transfer of flying if not stopped will forever doom you to flying for your regional rates. Once we let it happen it will happen time and time again. Everytime a contract comes up.......whoops......there goes your flying over to podunk airlines.
As a pilot you spend almost as much time in school and gaining experience as a doctor, and more time in recurrent training than a doctor does........do you want to go thru all that for 60,000 a year, or 150,000 a year? The choice is our to make.
My solution? Get rid of the W/o''s of the industry. If you are employed by usairways group, you should be on one senority list, period. As a new hire you fly the RJ or SJ or LSJ or whatever thay want to call it, when your senority holds a 757 you bid the 757. Simple, fair, and does not allow the company to monkey around with pitting rj guys against mainline.
If it has USAirways is any form painted on the side of the airplane it should flown by USairways pilots! ALG, PDT,and PSA should be combined on one list by date of hire and then added to the mainline list. End of discussion, no more rj problem no more endless fighting among regional and mainline, and I will even spend a couple of days helping to strip all the USAir paint off of Johnny O''s airplanes and wish him well on his own!
If we survive as USAirways, Good, if we fail as USAirways, well at least we didn''t self destruct due to sibling rivalry.
Kind of long but had to vent a bit!!!!! LOL 🙂
36 AM Bluestreak wrote: 
