PurpleTail

I know that 4A2b rumors are fun to start and throw around BUT... I just got out of recurrent training and we just started a new hire class of about 20 couple weeks ago. I even got to see the lucky "caboose" new hire wearing his fancy smancy engineer hat and vest full of legacy pins.

Real hard to sell 4A2b with a bunch of new hires rolling throw the training building.....

HKFlyr

I remember my last month before excessed during peak don 4a2b. My FO was a senior schoolhouse flex guy, who I flew with 3 times that month. He was on draft to fill the right seat(as a senior Capt) making big bucks, while I was working toward my paltry RLG of 58.5 on reserve, still working my 15 days that month...

Company saves huge bucks on it. Reduce line slugs to min...save at least 15%. At least. Work reserves harder...all extra flying going thru reserves...

Quite a brilliant cost savings. Sounds like a great idea if your flight management trying to show how you can make your department more viable during tough economic times...(but hey, we are getting better email so management can direct deal with us)

I remember BM stating in one of his early letters to the crew force about making flight ops more more cost effective, or something to that effect, but for us to not worry our pretty little heads about things like that...he was going to work with JB and PC on that.

I feel better now.

2dogs

Same guy that says in a F/O Course, "any one that flies on my crew WILL have to wear the blazer."

What if I don't have one?

AFW_MD11

Settlement Agreement on 4A2b Admin Grievances (09-02 and 09-04) is now part of our 2011 CBA (you know, the one we "got nothing for" in exchange for a measly 3% pay raise - )

Anyone who is a FDX ALPA member in good standing can read the Settlement Agreement here:

https://fdx.alpa.org/LinkClick.aspx?...%3d&tabid=3211

So, there are some major differences in how the company can implement 4A2b going forward (vs. how they did it before - the disparities)

Also, there are defined exit gates - one being if they hire pilots, 4A2b is terminated.

However - there is nothing that prevents the company from just furloughing vs. entering 4A2b in the first place - which is how the "legacy" carriers have always done it - hire up until the day they start furloughing, and then furlough up until the day they start recalls again.

So.....choose your poison.....that is what 4A2b was "supposed" to be all about in the first place - equally share the pain so we don't have to put folks on the street.

HKFlyr

Company didn't furlough as they couldn't afford it. Training and moves, bump and flush required was timely and expensive.

Settlement has very minor improvements and still ripe for significant abuse, not that Fedex ever abuses wiggle room.

Fedex will furlough if that is the best business decision. If 4a2b is a better decision, they will do that. It is all about the money. We are just a cost center.

And no matter what, there will be significant differences between BLGs, Fedex will send the freight on the planes that is most effective for cost...

Look at the BLG disparities now...777 and 757 will be the place to be for any major downturns while they retire the Buses and Slaveships while buying new aircraft...

My 2 cents worth.

AFW_MD11

yeah....one of my points was - by agreement, the disparities cannot be as gross as they were before - there's constraints now.

(reference paragraph B of the Settlement Agreement)

and "minor improvements"? mmmkay.....? defined constraint parameters vs. nothing....that's a little more than just minor if you ask me.

Don't forget to include HKG along with the 777 and 757 when you're speaking of disproportionally high BLGs.

Have you looked at the HKG BLG's lately compared to everyone else? Oh, yeah....you're a HKG guy I forgot

Wildmanny

Really though, guys, what is this pilot group going to actually DO about it? Will they rise up and say no, we're not going to vote for a contract/extension that allows this kind of disparity?

Gents, if you haven't figured it out...we're the boiling frog in the water. Until we get some cojoņes, say no, no draft or volunteer, get unified on this...we are done. Now go chastise your buds for doing this, in advance. Remember, the contract is coming.

MaxKts

The agreement was a condition of the arbitration wasn't it? So, what did we gain that we wouldn't already get?

HKG and CGN are excluded (per the agreement) from the parameters until their numbers exceed 100 available pilots in each seat. (I sure would like to know who gets to define available )

magic rat

+1

I said it before and I'll say it again, our "UNION" is a paper tiger, we have no unity, whatsoever...it is a joke. We pick up DPs. We fly draft and pick up open time during 4a2b, we bid an aircraft with no payrate (and are tripping over ourselves, wearing lanyards, saying we will do it again). We were led to vote yes on a crappy LOA because our glorious MEC leadership said it was the best we could get.

We are a contract or two away from Delta, or United, or USAir...mark my words...

We will never learn.

They are lauging at us. Tsk, tsk, tsk...

Diesel 10

Yep, it's inevitable.....