Smoked

Article published August 19, 2023 contained these quotes:

• The U.S. Postal Service has reduced its volume moved by air transport by more than 90% over the past two years, Postmaster General and CEO Louis DeJoy said in prepared remarks to the agency’s Board of Governors last week.
• Due to the agency’s continued shift away from air transport, today more than 95% of both First-Class mail and packages are moved through the agency’s less-expensive ground transportation system, DeJoy said.

How much flying are we really going to lose with the failed negotiation with USPS? If 90% of their reliance on air cargo was removed starting in 2021, how different will our day sort and bidpacks look in September compared to what is about to be released today for May?

Cowpoke

Dont bring your Voodoo Magic Keyboard skills to this message board Moneybags! We know what we want and we know how we’re going to get it. Just as soon as the ANC rep is replaced, the Dreamteam of Flat Earthers, High School Debate Club Hall of Famers, and Friends of Tesla drivers will be fully assembled. Just step aside and watch us do the real work.

WingOffLight

Thats the best one Ive read on here in a while.

GOFRTRS

Assuming what "Smoked" is reporting is accurate it would appear that the USPS contract then one would have to do a thorough financial analysis of it to determine if it is worth keeping. Apparantly FedEx determined that it wasn't in the company's best interest to retain this contract. As a retired FedEx pilot hired in the mid 80's I can tell you I would NEVER vote for trading away the A plan. It is one of the legs of my retirement income, not the ONLY leg. We hear all the time to diversify. Plan so for your retirement. For those promoting doing away with the A plan I believe that to be a foolish, shortsighted move. Take an honest, hard look at where this country is headed financially. Educate yourself about people like Bernie Madoff. There're out there today. Read "The Club No One Wanted To Join" edited by Erin Arvedlund. I wish the FedEx pilots all the best. Stick together. It's your best chance of success!

hercretired

Reported to be FedEx single largest customer: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ups...er-2024-04-01/

Moneybags

It’s potentially ending the A plan for new hires. Not anyone on property. Why a new hire in 2024 would want a pension is beyond me. Talk to anyone at the pax airlines and they are pretty darn happy with their retirement + profit sharing. Our love affair of the A plan has held us back as a pilot group and we are being surpassed now with better, more sustainable retirement plans that put money into their pilots’ accounts.

Sunsetting the A plan for new hires now makes it more sustainable for anyone who stays in it. And also allows the opportunity for a better option for younger new hires moving forward.

Seriously, look at the cyclicality in our industry just the past few years and the uncertainty we are facing in the near future. We don’t even know what our flight schedule will look like come October 1st, and you want to drag down our contract by insisting new hires are included in an antiquated retirement plan that requires the company to remain solvent for 50 years?

With the disruption going on in private industry due to technology, I don’t think there’s a single company that I would bet my career earnings and bulk of retirement on for a 50 year span.

Oh and the pension requires renegotiation every contract to try to increase, which interferes with other pressing items, like I don’t know, industry leading pay.

Smoked

Correct, and I remember PD’s claim about the reduction in the contract would create 300 more on the overstaffing number. That was assuming we lost a portion of the contract, not the entire thing!

But if the postal contract flying was reduced by 90% over the last two years, did that equal the same number of departures with less mail on them? Or did it mean less departures over time? Optimistically, the latter would mean we’re already experiencing most of that loss in current bidpacks.

Swedish Blender

As someone at the other carrier who would never vote away an A plan, you say the pax guys are happy with their profit sharing but then talk about cycles in our industry. How’s that profit sharing going to look during the next cycle?

Multi-faceted retirement streams. More is better in my book.

plzdontfireme

It doesn't need to interfere with other pressing items if the MEC/NC is running a full-on assault like SWAPA did.

It's really only an issue when the MEC/NC is trying to remain cozy with management to ensure their next job is in management or that their golden parachute retirement comes in before the clock runs out. That's when the horse-trading, "give something to get something," nonsense tends to come about.

Also "potentially ending the A plan for newhires" is worse than just giving it up all together. Why would anyone want pension in 2024? I guess you're naïve enough to think that the market is going to keep doing as well as it has for the last century and that you don't need some fixed income to balance out that risk. Having a well balanced, multi-source retirement plan is even more important now than it was 25 years ago.

4a2c

That 90% reduction is for all postal air freight, remember when you would be sitting on a DH and watch flat after flat of first class mail go in the belly ? Don't see that almost anywhere now. The FDX contract was for Priorty and Express Mail and that was a very specific set ramps and flights that are run FOR the post office and for stuff the needed to fly to meet serivce. If anyone thinks that our day network will look like todays come October, I would think again. The entire day network started with the postal deal (save a few flights that started pre-2002). Each and every day flight is a post office flight with virtually all the volume dedicated to postal. Hopefully, we are looking at options to use that day sit time again.