jtf560

I was finally able to see the crew food "fix" and it is weak and won't fix the main issue of availability. It offers better food if in places that it is available, but it will probably save the company a bunch of money. Simply improving the meal deviation amount and availability would have been much better. The AIP solves basically nothing.

Cachaco

Now this is only going to slow down even further as the pace of hiring by the airlines is already slowing down and only going to slow further, leaving people with much fewer options but to stay put.

If I were NJ, I would dig my heels in and make the pilots pay for being so stupid as to sign an American Eagle like 16 year contract for peanuts.

STzBack

what would have "increasing the meal deviation amount" change anything in "fixing the main issue of avaialability"? Even though I would have liked it.

Option 2, which includes the increased $96 per diem and buy you own food is probably the new best offer, although the $130 per day receipts option sounds good for splurging.

STzBack

and the constant baseless promise that "they're going to be so desperate they'll run back to the negotiation table and offer us everything we want" that keeps on being spread by those comfortable enough to sustain a toxic battle for years. The union would have won if everyone on property was Year 15 or more.

I keep hearing "if it's a resounding No, they will come back to us the next day and agree to our demands". Been hearing this for over a year. Weak. As much as there's disappointingly zero QOL in this deal I am voting Yes, because I can have a good control on my QOL, I can slow down if I need to slow down, I can call fatigue if I need to call fatigue, I can ask for a better hotel for rest and in most cases get it, when I need to. The Base Pay + FDP + 401K increase is too important in times like these, with the uncertainty 2024 is coming with, I would rather have an extra $55K per year (without counting FDP) when things go wrong then not have an extra $55K per year.

jtf560

I didn't say more money for deviations would fix the availability problem, just that it would have been better. Option 2 is just 2 deviations over your regular per diem and this will likely be very poplular and save the conpany a lot of money. I'll probably experiment with option 2 and eat what I want without having to deal with the expense reports, but I am used to using my per diem anyway. I guess the next time we are in negotiations we will have to put negotiating capital into pumping this up since $23 deviations came nowhere close to keeping up with inflation. Maybe we will be able to improve it in another decade if we are lucky- I am not betting that the will of the group overall will be to continue the fight this time around or maybe ever again after these meager results.

cons

23 bucks for an entire meal? Where, at Wendy's? Lol
Maybe 23 covers an appetizer and a drink at real restaurants.

jtf560

It is actually much worse than that- at least half the time you will have to get the food delivered to the fbo or hotel. The service charges for a meal can easily hit over $10. The current system meal deviations will have the company eat the "delivery fee" for you, but the other charges for a delivery are almost all way higher than the "delivery fee" that the company will absorb for a deviation. The new option will not get the delivery fee included. While I like more options, this is probably a better deal for the company- it saves them hassle and it will likely end up costing them less than if we didn't get the choices since it is extremely unlikely that the company pays less than $23 per crew food meal and we could always order up to 4, though almost nobody does more than 2. My guess is that they will also stop paying extra to almost all the hotels that offer breakfast in the rate for a slightly higher price.

cons

Well if additional fees on top of the 23 for food isn't included then that's even worse than before. Who tf agreed to this? Lol

jtf560

It is one of 3 options that you choose from before your tour and cannot change until the next work trip. We can opt to keep the original way which is broken and the reason we have more options now or we can go on receipts and get no per diem anymore for a 3rd option. Choices are nice, but the ones they give us all have short falls.

STzBack

I never use $23/meal, when I get 2 deviations, I keep it for $46 to use at dinner. Without alcohol, I get a pretty decent meal.