WestJet pilots to fly Swoop aircraft

[Blue42]

Your correct. But the company would have to apply first which would probably happen on the 7th then Kaplan decides ya or nay. Then company can appeal if Kaplan denies it. More time goes by. Well shall see this weekend how it goes. This formal process is foreign to me except what Alpa mec has said which is where I got the info from.

Hope it’s done soon.

The formal process sounds like it’s foreign to the ALPA MEC as well......what a joke this is becoming! We’re going to be lucky to come out of this with what we have. We aren’t any further ahead then we were a year ago.

[Maritimer]

Your correct. But the company would have to apply first which would probably happen on the 7th then Kaplan decides ya or nay. Then company can appeal if Kaplan denies it. More time goes by. Well shall see this weekend how it goes. This formal process is foreign to me except what Alpa mec has said which is where I got the info from.

Hope it’s done soon.

The formal process sounds like it’s foreign to the ALPA MEC as well......what a joke this is becoming! We’re going to be lucky to come out of this with what we have. We aren’t any further ahead then we were a year ago.

Keep trolling. We already made significant gains over what the WJPA was able to get us.

[WeedPro2000]

I’ll bite...what exactly are those gains? I made $399,400 in 2917 and I worked 12 days between May 13 and Aug 12 of this year. Tell me how my work life gets better.

[lostaviator]

I’ll bite...what exactly are those gains? I made $399,400 in 2917 and I worked 12 days between May 13 and Aug 12 of this year. Tell me how my work life gets better.

Not everyone is able to drop their entire schedule and rely solely on OT to prop up their T4.

[FurHat]

I’ll bite...what exactly are those gains? I made $399,400 in 2917 and I worked 12 days between May 13 and Aug 12 of this year. Tell me how my work life gets better.

Not everyone is able to drop their entire schedule and rely solely on OT to prop up their T4.

No one will be able to with the introduction of reserve.

[lostaviator]

I’ll bite...what exactly are those gains? I made $399,400 in 2917 and I worked 12 days between May 13 and Aug 12 of this year. Tell me how my work life gets better.

Don’t forget that 40% of that is now worth 50% less.

[lostaviator]

I’ll bite...what exactly are those gains? I made $399,400 in 2917 and I worked 12 days between May 13 and Aug 12 of this year. Tell me how my work life gets better.

Not everyone is able to drop their entire schedule and rely solely on OT to prop up their T4.

No one will be able to with the introduction of reserve.

WJ is years away from being able to staff any sort of reserve system. The supply of pilots in Canada isn’t enough to support AC’s hiring let alone WestJets hiring forecast (and that’s without reserve).

[.80@410]

I’ll bite...what exactly are those gains? I made $399,400 in 2917 and I worked 12 days between May 13 and Aug 12 of this year. Tell me how my work life gets better.

This isn’t about just you. Figure it out already.
Every day you post I thank gawd there are people out there who care about others and this industry.

[goingnowherefast]

I get it now. Weedpro is able to exploit a loophole in the scheduling and OT rules. Now that his specific gravy train is ending, he is throwing an internet hissy fit. Too bad the world doesn't revolve around him, and 95% of westjet pilots are seeing improvements with ALPA. He's just too ignorant to notice (or too arrogant to care).

[B757FO]

yes the days of $400k t4s are coming to an end once the reserve thing takes hold and while I do agree it won’t be a switch thrown overnight, it will be happening.

Westjet applied for formal yesterday which is no shock but we also have a delay now but we have an agreement in 2018 now by December 31st. So staying calm and watching this play out will be the way it is for next 3 months. At least this has some finality to it now with timelines.

[WeedPro2000]

That's my belief too, that my high pay days are over. I think that there will still be OT to be had (reserve won't cover all of the company's requirement), but it will likely come with triggers (that don't exist now) and I'm not confident that pilots will have the ability to trade away their entire schedule as exists today. to create room for OT flying. My contention all along has been that an ALPA contract would mean less money for me, along the order of $80,000 to $100,000 per year, and would mean less schedule flexibility. The only thing that could possibly be a benefit, to me, is seniority scheduling, which I hear is not on the table. Everything else that ALPA negotiates is not of interest or consequence, to me.

That said, I'm off to China in two days for CAAC ATPL exam, medical, and company interview. It is not my first choice, and I'm on the fence as to whether I'll take the job (if offered), but I'd like to have options in case my predictions above really do come true.

And if nothing works out either way, I'll just go jump off a bridge or a cliff.

[RidersRule]

I just googled pee eggs...

I don’t think I’m going to sleep tonight

[WeedPro2000]

I’ll bite...what exactly are those gains? I made $399,400 in 2917 and I worked 12 days between May 13 and Aug 12 of this year. Tell me how my work life gets better.

Your work life is going to get worse fuckface. It’s in your best interests to start looking for a part time gig to supplement the wingnut project, your travels, and your alimony.
No longer will you be able to drop your sched, word is out and Allah willing, pilots will no longer grab your dropped scheds.

And since you’re always harping about grammar, let’s talk about your ability to travel in time to 2917 and make those big gains shall we? You’re the terminator in reverse, with way less muscle, puny actually. Do you even lift?

You’re a truculent bellicose dickhead.

Sincerely yours,
Grant.

Well, "Grant".

First point: I am not truculent.

Ad hominem attacks aside. If you're a YVR based pilot, I'd be more than a little bit concerned. While it is true that ALPA has negotiated a reserve system that stipulates that no one in their current position will be forced to hold reserve, that statement needs some context. YVR pilots at WJ have the highest book off rate per capita in the WJ pilot population. They also have the lowest rate per capita of picking up OT shifts that need coverage. My guess, and this is pure speculation, once the new contract is signed, WJ will close the YVR NG (base for pilots). Those pilots will then be forced to bid for another base (YYC or YYZ), and then because they no longer have grandfather protection, they will then be eligible to hold reserve (albeit in a reverse call out scenario).

And regarding the YOS that ALPA is trumpeting: my sources deep within the organization are telling me that the payscale has been spread out and lengthened. That will dampen some of the perceived gains.

Further, YOS will apply in some fashion to existing (likely not all) Captains. My observation would be that we will see very few NG upgrades in the next 5 years at mainline. You and I know where the growth is going to go. So YOS will be a wash...

Regarding Swoop T's & C's, I think the arbitrator is going to lean heavily toward the company's arguments. I doubt that the next quarterly results are going to be awe inspiring, and I beleieve that this will colour the decision.

It goes without saying that I believe that with a strike vote no longer the nuclear threat that some thought it would be (even WITH a Liberal government), ALPA's tool box is packed with vapourware.

Anyhoo, have fun being so evidently angered, triggered, and unhappy. Me? I'm happy every day I go to work. Sure, the ALPA lanyards make me puke a little inside each time I see them, but I get over it. Life is way too short to be unhappy.

Take care, dude. Odds are I'm staying put. I'm headed to China for a look see. Six WJ Captains (including yours truly) carried out the sim eval in July in YUL. Four passed. I'll be sure to pass on your observations to the ones I'm headed over with.


你他妈的笨蛋

[lostaviator]

The YVR base closure rumour has been circulating for years. With the introduction of WB flying, I'd be willing to wager YVR will grow and YYC will shrink. We all know where the the money is these days and YVR is the gateway to that.

[RidersRule]

I’ll bite...what exactly are those gains? I made $399,400 in 2917 and I worked 12 days between May 13 and Aug 12 of this year. Tell me how my work life gets better.

Your work life is going to get worse fuckface. It’s in your best interests to start looking for a part time gig to supplement the wingnut project, your travels, and your alimony.
No longer will you be able to drop your sched, word is out and Allah willing, pilots will no longer grab your dropped scheds.

And since you’re always harping about grammar, let’s talk about your ability to travel in time to 2917 and make those big gains shall we? You’re the terminator in reverse, with way less muscle, puny actually. Do you even lift?

You’re a truculent bellicose dickhead.

Sincerely yours,
Grant.

And regarding the YOS that ALPA is trumpeting: my sources deep within the organization are telling me that the payscale has been spread out and lengthened. That will dampen some of the perceived gains.

I was thinking along this line as well but I just can’t see them being able to extend the payscales. It’s that beaten dog syndrome, after years of the company pinching pennies, what’s the catch.

The reason I don’t see it. I have heard the arbitrator is comparing us to AC and Rouge. Their pay scale is 12 years I believe. In fact, I researched all airlines in Canada and I can’t find any with payscales longer then 12 years. Transat was 10. So why would they arbitrator give us a longer payscale than any airline currently operating in North America. Doesn’t make sense to me. I guess we will see.

[lostaviator]

Of course it doesn’t make sense. Weedpro just tosses random “in the know” stories out there hoping to stir the pot. Remember the one last week about this weeks email including information on the end of the one list?

[KAG]

Swallow, cut the shit. You have "deep knowledge" lmao, you have someones opinion, as do I, as does anyone. Fact is the company can ask to pay us in sacks of potatoes and recycled pop cans, but ultimately it's out of everyones hands. Given the nonsense that I figure has transpired we're going to get a fair contract, and swoop wages will be more in line with current WJ rates. We'll know soon enough. Good luck in China, I hope you do well over there if its something you want.
Cheers

[complexintentions]

While I do enjoy a good slap-flight between WS pilots...I really must point out...

The fact that it isn't known that "ad hominem" is a common literary term used to describe personal attacks rather than fact-based ones, does help illustrate the level of intellect at work here.

Carry on!

[eyebrow737]

While I do enjoy a good slap-flight between WS pilots...I really must point out...

The fact that it isn't known that "ad hominem" is a common literary term used to describe personal attacks rather than fact-based ones, does help illustrate the level of intellect at work here.

Carry on!

LOL - I was going to post the same observation, but it is just too much fun watching westjet pilots bitch and moan about who didn't join their gang.

[RidersRule]

How was I bitching and moaning.

John, who I consider a friend, posted that YOS wouldn’t be what I thought it would be.

I posted why I believed it would be by the research I did.

Isn’t his the place for dialogue?