Republic Airways is telling new pilot hires that if they leave the company in less than three years they’ll also be leaving behind $100,000. Like all regionals, its experienced captains are being poached at a furious rate by the majors and it has plenty of low-time FOs. It is now only interested in hiring experienced FOs who can build time on the line to become captains within a year and fly as captains for two more. So it’s making new hires sign a Republic Airways New First Officer Career Advancement Pathway Program Agreement, and part of the deal is that if they leave before three years, they will have to pay “liquidated damages” of $100,000. They also have to agree to not work for a competing airline for at least a year.
Of course, their union, the Teamsters, is apoplectic about the “egregious” agreement, saying it circumvents contract language about mandatory upgrades and forced overtime. It’s urging the company to reconsider before it faces legal action, arbitration or grievances. The union also says the gambit will backfire and “have a chilling effect on the quantity and quality of the pilots” who might try to join the airline.
Republic FOs start at $90 per flight hour and captains make $140 after Republic and virtually every other regional sharply hiked pilot pay in response to the exodus. The airline also offers a $60,000 bonus for pilots who complete the upgrade. The minimum Part 121 experience for captains under the agreement is 850 hours (military experience counts, too) and FOs who need to build hours are expected to bid on extra flights so they qualify within a year of being hired.
