The Express numbers speak for themselves. Nearly 50% below pre COVID ASM capacity. Pilot population 25% below the original plan for summer 2023. Airframes parked or under utilized. Jazz pilot exodus continues.Fanblade wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2023 11:51 amThe problem for MR is that competing for pilots will drive pilot wages higher. Something he is trying to avoid. His whole argument is AC doesn’t need to be competitive on wages because everyone wants to work here. The last thing he wants is to go tit for tat with Porter or anyone else as he believes it’s not required for AC. The best you will see him do is match the pay minus whatever he believes the flow through carrot is worth.
A pilot shortage brings on upguaging. He has ordered the aircraft and is hiring the pilots. Two years from now that piece will be in place. He doesn’t need a future Jazz as large as it was. He is waiting and willing to endure that gap with route cancellations.
He must have the support of the BOD for this direction. If at the end of the day it becomes clear the current pay a Jazz is not enough. It’s not. That attrition is exceeding what he sees as Jazz’s future size. Then and only then will he raise pay at Jazz. And then only barely enough. You are stuck in a long term contract. You can not make him pay. Don’t expect him to pay anything beyond the bare minimum. For him the jury on what bare minimum looks like is still out.
There is nothing illegal about competing for workers. With that said emptying the competition of pilots might get the attention of the competition bureau.
AC has actually been very consistent with this message for years.
- We are entitled to a Canadian discount because you are trapped within these borders.
- We are entitled to a rondel discount on top of the Canadian discount as we are the only legacy.
- AC pilots can not have a raise until WJ does first. We don’t need to compete. Even then the rondel discount applies.
None of this is going to change today tomorrow or next week. The only thing that will overcome this attitude is making them.
The labor discount they have over their international competitors is massive. They won’t let it go easily
Jazz pilots are not in a position to make AC do anything. Arms length from AC and trapped in a contract. No AC employee group has been in a position to make AC doing anything for a decade. If you include Harpers intervention and CCAA. Two decades pilots have been effectively kept in a weak position
The AC pilots are the first in a long long time. Rousseau just threw down the gauntlet.
He isn’t budging……………without force
By the end of 2024, there will only be approximately 93 airframes operated at Jazz. This was a carrier that once operated nearly 150 airframes on behalf of AC.
AC is moving on from whatever the previous plan was for Express. Pilots whose livelihood is predicated on the Jazz/AC relationship should be wary about what they thought was ‘guaranteed’.
As for AC, this round of bargaining is going to be the biggest wake-up call in decades.
