OpenClimb

With regard to impending contract negotiations:

Please keep in mind that both the Company and the pilot group are legally required to maintain the status quo during negotiations. Past court cases have established that "status quo" means more than just following the contract. It also includes actions such as waiving contractual rights to a reserved seat for deadheads; performing a single-engine taxi; agreeing to waive our CBA provision for a calendar day off in domicile every 7 days; picking up open time, etc.

If, in the days, months, and years leading up to official CBA negotiations, we have a track record of doing all these things, then we can't just stop doing them the moment our negotiating committee faces tough times in dealing with the Company. We would be subject to actionable claims of an "Illegal Job Action." The historical track record we're establishing right now will be used to determine what is "status quo" during negotiations.

On the flip side, if we allow the Company to continually violate certain provisions of our CBA without challenge, the Company is establishing a "status quo" baseline as well. Our claims of unfair labor practices during official contract negotiations will fall flat because the Company will be able to show they're not doing anything in 2017 that they haven't been doing since 2015.

If ensuring the CBA is followed on a daily basis isn't already important enough, please keep this in mind as we establish the "status quo" that both sides will be expected to maintain beginning in March, 2016.

Oh… one more thing: Be sure EVERYONE is establishing a strike fund. We all know it's coming. If, by some miracle, we don't end up striking, then feel free to use your strike fund to buy some really great Christmas presents in the year 2019!

sulkair

But, the company cannot claim a precedent for activities that are disputed, flown and grieved, correct? Pretty obvious answer, but just want to be sure.

OpenClimb

You are correct.

PilotLife4me

Do you know what the new cost will be for employee + family?

Arty13

Can status quo, in this context, be completely outside CBA provisions?

OpenClimb

If I'm understanding your question, yes.

A wild example to make sure I'm answering the question you're asking:

If the Company came out tomorrow and started asking each captain to hop on one foot and rotate 360 degrees in a counterclockwise fashion before entering the aircraft prior to the first flight of the day… And we didn't object… And every pilot complied with this request… Then we couldn't just stop doing it because we are disappointed in the lack of progress after 2 years of contract negotiations EVEN THOUGH there's nothing in the CBA mandating this behavior.

There's no a bright line between what is and is not a violation of status quo. It's more of a sliding scale between how long the activity has been going on and how tough it is to prove from an objective standard.

The Company might claim violation of status quo for things like: Single Engine Taxi frequency; Sick Calls; Fatigue Calls; A decrease in folks picking up open time; Longer taxi times; More logbook write-ups; More logbook write-ups in inconvenient places, etc.

The Union might claim: Inefficient trip assignments; Decrease in quality of layover hotels; Increased deadheads; Payroll errors; Increased hassle for delays; Creation of new job duties, etc.

The ability to prevail in a claim for violation of the status quo provisions will depend on the severity of the violation and the ability of the claimant to objectively prove the case. If you look at my list of Company violations, it should be pretty obvious to anyone who's paying attention that the Company has already started building a record to show that NOTHING they do 2 years from now is anything they didn't do prior to negotiations.

Barley

I think the best thing you can do for yourself, your family, and fellow crewmembers is to fill out applications and do your best to move on. I know not everyone is in a position to do this and completely understand that; however, for those that can the most effective way to improve your earning potential and happiness in the workplace is to reject continued employment under this silliness.

We are in a good economy. The company is reporting record profit margins. They're admitting that contract negotiations will be dragged on for years, building deterrents to basic healthcare benefits, asking new-hires to sign a $24,000 training contract, and making daily CBA violations. How do you think this will look in a bad economy? I hope I don't have to find out. I don't see this turning around. The only people that win here are the senior managers that cash-out after a liquidity event.

skater3260

This, 100%

sulkair

Barley, respectfully, I think this is an oversimplification. I'm not going to be a company cheerleader here, I'm disillusioned just like many other new-hires. But I also refuse to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Which is exactly what can happen if you attempt to solve the problem by simply going someplace else.

Nobody has any idea what things will look like in 20 years. You can project that you'll be much better off at one of the Big 3, or WN, or anywhere else for that matter. Yeah only until they adopt the Indigo playbook too, or worse you're furloughed for 8 years and find yourself right back here. It has, and can happen again, I don't care how drastic people say the pilot shortage is, or how great the economy is. Yawn! These things turn on a dime!

For me personally my life is so much more than where I punch the clock. I'm never going to trust Frontier, or United, or any corporation to take care of me because it is foolish to do so. Does this thinking play into their hand? Maybe, but they already hold the winning hand - always have - as does every company and you know it. Does this mean I won't fight tooth and nail to preserve and make better what we have. No, of course not, I'm ethically bound to do so out of pure self preservation, and you can always count on me in this regard, I promise. But people have choices, either stay or go. Neither is right or wrong, they are neutral, and they balance on a very personal / subjective fulcrum. Hopefully they are not made with shortsighted emotion.

PS, I still haven't made my choice

crflyer

How much do people really save on premiums (for an individual, let's say) if they do the wellness requirements?