MacGuy2

Greetings,
Next month, toward the end of the bid month, I go into ITU training. Looking at the contract, specifically sections 25.I.3.e and 25.I.4, it appears that I could be assigned a custom line or maybe it's just custom trips on the line I bid if I conflict trips with my training.

So, my question to those who maybe have already done this, how does this REALLY work. Here's a scenario...let's say my training starts on the last Thursday of the next bid month. Let's also say I am awarded a 30 hour trip that starts on the last Monday of the bid month and ends the last Friday of the bidmonth. It looks to me that using the formula in 25.I.3.e I'm going get assigned an additional trip(s). Does that trip have to fall in the footprint of the original trip or can it be put anyplace CRS would like? When is the trip assigned? Section 25.I.4 makes it look like it can't be assigned more than 72 hours prior to the "anticipated eligibility for custom line assignment." What the he$$ does that mean and when would I be "eligible" for assignment?

Any help with this custom line mess would be most appreciated.

Best regards,
MG2

4A2B

Contact David Taylor or anyone in Contract Enforcement, they can provide you with guidance on what can be expected in your ITU bidding,

MacGuy2

Unfortunately, I did contact the Union, not David Taylor, but someone else in that department. I got the "reading" of the contract, but not how it really works. Sort of like a lot of things in our contract, they read one way but are applied in a different manner.

I'd really appreciate it if someone who's in or just out of ITU would chime in.

I'll also give David a call on Monday. Maybe I'll get a more definitive answer.

MG2

bidxguy

I'd be interested in a little guidance as well. My training is 14Sept. How best to bid? If I bid a reserve line with no flying the first 14 days, will I basically just have a pay-only line? Thanks!

kronan

Custom lines are for when you finish IOE-assuming you finish IOE after the bid closes for your new seat.

Haven't transitioned seat positions under the new contract. But, best thing to do with the old was to bid for a line w/flying after the beginning of your training. EG-everything after 14 Sept.

You don't get X-CH for every day of training. All you get is your BLG. And, you only get paid carry over for the trips you actually fly-EG, the carry-over trip (or M/U trip) you did prior to the 14th.

In the midst of training, you do need to pay attention to what you are bidding. If you just bid highest paying line, you could screw yourself out of some buckage. You need to take the time to figure out the lines paying higher than RLG and VTO and bid those to maximize your compensation for the joys of multiple days in the school house.

MaxKts

Under the new system - you will also get a custom line if you have a trip that starts before your training and is not completely knocked out by training i.e. if trip is 8 days long and training starts on 5th day of trip, you owe them 4 days (it is not as simple as that but you get the idea)

kronan

Man-what a bone job. Might not be too bad if the company gave you credit for 4.5CH for every day of ITU training during a month.

Have to love that permissive language. The company May construct a custom line---doesn't have to. But, it can if it wants to.

KnightFlyer

I can't speak for R and Sec. lines, but:

going into training: try to put max trips after training start. If training starts beginning of 3rd week of the bid month, try to get a line that has all the flying after training start date. Check contract for rules if training starts mid-trip or conflicts for what you owe them.

during training (full month): max CH w/o c/o

Leaving training (partial month of training/IOE and custom line): Bid max days off line with the most pay. Your custom line can't give you more work days for the month than the line awarded regardless of CHs.

Haywood JB

I have had training twice since the new contract....from my experience, skeds has not rebuilt my line for training conflicts.

So in your example where you start training on Thursday, with a trip starting on Monday, they just outright dropped the whole thing for me, and did not give me something earlier in the month.

I would try to bid to get as much time off as possible, so that your days off all occur prior to your start date. As for the post training inputs, yet another animal, different discussion.

Good luck,

HJ

MacGuy2

I don't know if you were just lucky, or if CRS just doesn't care, but apparently they COULD assign extra trips. In the given scenario, starting ITU on Thursday, August 27 and if I bid and was awarded a trip, say 30 CR, 5 day trip, starting on Monday, August 24, here's what COULD happen. The reference is 25.I.3.e. The 30 CR trip would be dropped (other non-conflicting trips would remain on my line). For the days of ACTUAL conflict with my ITU I would be awarded an R-day of credit--I think 3:40 for August in the Bus, so that's 7:20 CR for two days of actual conflict. Then I get 12 CR for a 48 hour buffer. Added together that's 19:20, subtracted from the original 30 CH of the trip, says that I could be on the hook for 10:40. That's effectively a day and a half trip or 2 R-days.

According to the Union I can put in my preferences after the bids are awarded. I'm not sure in what order custom lines are built, but I get a feeling I'm going to get hosed on this deal, one way or another.

If you have actual experiences that differ from what I'm reading in the CBA and what the Union is telling me, please let me know.

Thank,
MG2