Westjet pilot TA

[Smitty]

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/westjet- ... -1.2106615

[stickontheice]

Early rumour is they'll be increasing the numbers in the YVR Base even shrinking the YYZ Base if need be.

[brooks]

Maybe I am not up to speed but what does increasing YVR numbers at the expense of YYZ have to do with the agreement?

[flyer 1492]

The "highlights" are not written yet? I would have thought that you would have pen to paper before making this announcement. At least that way the company can't pull any fast ones.

Flyer

[leftoftrack]

It's a tentative agreement, they have been here before now the question is does mainline remember encore while their signing or do they think of how much farther ahead they can be.

[#37]

It's a tentative agreement, they have been here before now the question is does mainline remember encore while their signing or do they think of how much farther ahead they can be.

Pisspoor statement. West jet pilots got caught behind the eightball with encore. They had too much faith in management, too much faith in the WJPA of the time. They got screwed.
West jet pilots have worked hard to fix some of the errors. They have made some things a reality that don't exist anywhere.
This TA is not about Encore it's about WestJet, IF there are some good things in it, it won't be robbing Encore.

[BE20 Driver]

Management is fond of reminding Encore that it is a completely separate company from WestJet.

WestJet's TA will have nothing to do with Encore, other than sweeten the pot and make it more desirable to flow up as soon as possible (no sign of moving off of the 25% flow). WJE has long since been forgotten about by mainline pilots. I think the focus has been on making sure that the wide body program doesn't become another Encore.

[Transonic]

No. The WestJet mainline pilots have not forgotten their fellow Encore pilots. Rome was not built in a day. The WJPA has clearly stated their plan of action for their term.

1. Widebody MOA - done
2. Fix flow through - done
3. TA2 - in progress
4. Encore TA

Please understand that the mainline contract is nearly 2 years expired. TA1 was voted down and has now created a rift amongst the pilots along with a strong certification drive. The FAs are quickly becoming organized and no doubt will mirror any move made by the pilots. TA2 can solve this, hence its importance.

The current WJPA leadership has shown incredible dedication towards the pilot group, burning the candle at both ends. After Christmas it will be time to tackle an Encore TA. We all believe 20% ESPP match is a must.

BE20Driver, have you registered on the WJPA forum? If not, then do. The WJPA leadership is doing a fantastic job answering questions and addressing concerns.

[Bede]

WJE has long since been forgotten about by mainline pilots.

I disagree. The problem is that WJE pilots don't have any negotiating power other than leaving for greener pastures. The WJPA can't change that. It sucks but there is little anyone can do.

I commute on WJE all the time. I always take time to talk to the crew and ask how things are going. Most of the time, I get told everything is going great. I was pretty disappointed in the way WJE was set up and have been quite vocal about it. Lately, I've been wondering who am I to complain about WJE when all the WJE pilots I talk to say everything is great.

[BE20 Driver]

As I originally stated, Encore has been back-burnered lately.

I do understand that the old agreement expired two years ago, just before WJE was started up. Although the new TA that is being put forward will not affect Encore's terms and conditions, it would be great if there were some reward put into it for those who helped build Encore. Think signing bonus, additional ESP for the first year, etc. The odds of any of that happening are, well, ...

Bede - I know you commute. If all you're doing is saying hi when guests are around, or during grooming, you'll get a polite answer back. Pull the guys aside and buy the FO a quick meal and see what he or she really thinks. Ask a few non-yes/no questions and dig a little deeper.

We will see what the new year brings for Encore. Hopefully it also brings a quality agreement for big brother.

[KK7]

As an Encorian myself, I don't feel as though we were forgotten, back burnered or anything. All my chats with the WJPA and management have been positive. I think it is important to have the contract set up for WJ before they get to work on WJE, so we can try to align as much as possible. Talking to the WJPA, the risk of folks leaving from WJE to greener pastures is a huge bargaining chip.

[PositiveRate27]

I've got a handful of acquaintances, who I speak to quite regularly that work at Encore... the only people I've ever heard complain about WJE are people that don't work at WJE.

[DH772]

As an Encorian myself, I don't feel as though we were forgotten, back burnered or anything. All my chats with the WJPA and management have been positive. I think it is important to have the contract set up for WJ before they get to work on WJE, so we can try to align as much as possible. Talking to the WJPA, the risk of folks leaving from WJE to greener pastures is a huge bargaining chip.

Would you mind sharing what type of operation you came from before? Even with a lousy contract at Encore it is still far better than any contract most pilots will see at their previous operations. Heck, even if they had a better contract at their previous company, the flow through carrot is all that is needed to persuade someone.

Lousy pay but ability to double your salary and switch seats within a year along with a guaranteed flow through is still far superior than most 704 operators out there.
Working 20 days a month? Not a big deal as I bet the majority of pilots were already doing that at their previous job.

It's always a step upwards for somebody.

[SMP]

Management is fond of reminding Encore that it is a completely separate company from WestJet.

WestJet's TA will have nothing to do with Encore, other than sweeten the pot and make it more desirable to flow up as soon as possible (no sign of moving off of the 25% flow). WJE has long since been forgotten about by mainline pilots. I think the focus has been on making sure that the wide body program doesn't become another Encore.

Hi there,

"Long since forgotten"?

That's an interesting statement considering the pilots on the 737 have been without an updated agreement since prior to WJE's first day of operations. No one at WJ has forgotten you, they are just doing their best to prioritize the needs of the entire group.

Cheers

SMP

[Ypilot]

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[whiteguy]

The "highlights" are not written yet? I would have thought that you would have pen to paper before making this announcement. At least that way the company can't pull any fast ones.

Flyer

Yup that's right nothing has been written down yet, it's all in the memory banks.....

[Smitty]

Encore hasn't been backburnered.

In some ways this agreement is going to be more challenging than the 737 contract. They're starting from scratch plus cost and working condtions will have more pressure to stay low. The WJPA will be going in with the experience of having worked through the one list, the wide body MOA and a 737 TA.

Encore faces heavy hiring next year and will have to compete with a new Air Canada agreement, so these are things working in the WJPA's favour if Encore wants to attract and retain pilots.