brooks wrote: ↑Thu May 16, 2019 9:18 pm
Everybody stays as is and going forward make two lists. If Encore is going to start hiring 500 hr instructors who will be more senior than the OTS hire with Jet time and experience at mainline it will not end well.
So shouldn't we be doing whatever we can to make Encore desirable for more experienced candidates? There are plenty of former jet pilots, including 737 captains, and 705 turboprop captains who came to Encore specifically because of the One List. On the other hand, mainline has been hiring OTS pilots who only have experience on light props, like Metros, so why should they have seniority over a 10000-hour 737 ACP who ended up at Encore because of a series of bad luck? That 737 pilot has been contributing to WestJet's success and is familiar with the company's policies and procedures, but can't even apply at mainline; all they can do is wait for flow. Is that fair?
Without the One List to attract experienced pilots, Encore's hour requirement
will keep dropping, which will make for a less-efficient and less-safe operation. If you want Encore to continue feeding passengers onto your jets, then Encore needs to maintain staffing levels, and losing the One LIst will have the opposite effect. Current pilots are going to leave in droves, and the only new applicants will be low-timers; the aircraft that will still be flying will be less safe and operated less efficiently because of it. Management is aware of the problem and is pushing to find a resolution; the only ones who don't seem to understand this are mainline pilots. If Encore isn't carrying connecting passengers from Regina, Kamloops, and Moncton, WestJet won't be able to fill 787s going to Dublin and Paris every single day, or even maintain the number of 737 flights that are currently in operation. Without Encore, WestJet would shrink back to pre-2013 levels, operating point-to-point services only in those markets large enough to maintain jet service. It would be really ironic if WestJet pilots ended up getting laid off because they voted down the LOA due to a lack of layoff protection!
Speaking of contributing to WestJet's success, Encore pilots have been the lowest-paid regional pilots in Canada for the last six years, and the CBA will contribute that trend for captains, because we assumed that we would make up the difference with quicker upgrades at WestJet. (I know, I know, shame on us for trusting other pilots to do something that doesn't benefit them) We are helping the company's profitability by keeping costs low through our wages. Every mainline pilot is directly profiting off of us with every ESPP purchase and every profit share cheque. We're working eighteen days a month, and you're making money of our backs. If you're going to take away hundreds of thousands in captain wages from us, then you'd better start petitioning management to raise our wages in compensation. If you're so dead-set on Encore pilots not sharing seniority, then you're taking money directly from us.
The One LIst is the best way to maintain staffing levels at Encore, and steady operations at Encore are essential for WestJet to operate at its current size. The One List is good for every pilot at WestJet, even the OTS pilots who stand to gain seniority, because they'll be the first ones laid off if the company contracts. If you oppose it, you're profiting off of our backs and helping to deprive us of future compensation, and we won't stand for that for too long.