StickPig

CP was conferenced in with CS and we worked it out. Scheduling section of the contract states you must at a minimum be given LCR or work jointly with CS on a build up line. Had me sweating bullets there for a few hours!

Happyflyer

TR,

Your letter to our pilots was insufficient.
Your allowing Keith and the company to pick and choose what they don't like about our contract and midigate it.

Pilot vacations are protected in your side agreement for earning 200%. A pilot acquiring days off through SAP or vacation is no different, they are both part of the Collective Bargning Agreement.

Imagine if your letter stated that a pilot that bid vacation during November would be ineligible for 200%, it would be unfair. In reality though it's no different than what you agreed to. Vacations and SAP are allowed in the same CBA, and you chose to tolerate one section and not tolerate another.

Allowing the company to treat the SAP differently than paid sick days, paid vacation, or FMLA is unjust to our contract.

Allowing Keith to determine that the SAP creates a staffing problem for him is no different than allowing him to determine FMLA or paid sick days are a problem that must be delt with.

They are not. They are a fundamental part of our pilot contract. They are not a problem because it is not negotiable; look at him as if he asked you to allow us to work 19 hour duty days, "to help him out" Just because it helps doesn't mean it's ok.

JohnnyDingus

There is a difference with pilots acquiring days off through SAP vs Vacation. One word. Seniority.

I’m not understanding your third paragraph....

Happyflyer

I figured that would be the answer but it is also not true. Not every pilot sticks with what they were awarded the prior October. Plenty of pilots trade around and move weeks to suit there schedules. It not difficult to get a week off in November other than thanksgiving week. Which means seniority is not a factor.
Also the number 1 most senior person in the company could bid vacation and still plan to SAP Nov 5-11 off.
My point is obtaining days off is important for every pilot, and they are both done through the contract, one is not "more right".

The third paragraph is a frustration that we are deciding to split the baby regarding SAP. What would our MEC say if Keith said he needed 6 day trips to solve his staffing problem, or longer duity days. Why does our MEC alllow him to neuter one section.
That letter could have easily said you get 200%, but only if you bid one of the schedules with 9 days off. He didn't ask and we wouldn't have allowed that because it's crossing the line, and I'am saying what he did ask for is crossing the line.
The last thing I wanna here is TR tell me it's optional to bid a 9 day off line and we are just testing the productivity for Christmas.
11 days off is in the contract just like SAP, but it seems only some items are sacred.

chrisreedrules

I think perhaps your letter to TR would have been better utilized as an email to him personally. I get you’re frustrated, but I don’t see this Thanksgiving LOA as a bad thing. Most of the pilots I’ve talked to don’t see it as a bad thing. No one is keeping you from utilizing the SAP to adjust your schedule however you want. The holiday will STILL most likely go critical so you’re welcome to drop whatever you want and then pick it back up. Just like last year. Only difference is that for those of us who were planning on working the holiday for extra coin can now just keep our flying over that period and get paid 200% for it.

I agree that some of the language was a little bit confusing but I just don’t see how this is a bad LOA. It’s a clear gain.

FlyyGuyy

Who the heck is Keith? Keith Houk? He's been gone for a few years...

TallFlyer

You should probably go look up who our new VP of Flight Ops is.

Happyflyer

O and BTW TR,

I'am bidding vacation for next year. What side deals are going to be implemented 2 weeks in advance? Should I bid off for thanksgiving, or plan on bidding the week prior then getting 200% for thanksgiving flying while still getting 17 days off for the month with vacation?
Every holiday is treated as a new animal, so I really have no idea what's bouncing around in your head and the pilots aren't allowed to have input through ratification.
Please enlighten us to you plans so we can develop a strategy to get paid under our CBA that we pay dues for.
Your side deal should have at a minimum included 200% or 42 hours for the guys that bid vacation last October for Thanksgiving, since they had no way of knowing what the shoot from the hip patch job you and Keith made would look like.

FlyingSlowly

Not to throw fuel on the fire, but it's a clear gain for everyone except R1 lineholders who can SAP. The power of the SAP was undermined with regard to holiday pay...I'm not complaining, just observing.

It's just five days, no big deal...critical pay will likely still apply...but what I think has people concerned is that if this becomes a precedent for things to come. For many pilots, undermining the power of the SAP is a big deal. Treating the pre-SAP R1 schedules as valid for determining anything with regard to pay flies in the face of the contract, which always goes by the final bid award (after the SAP).

JohnnyDingus

Your last paragraph is flawed. The people who bid thanksgiving week off, did it for a purpose. They wanted the time off. If they didn’t want thanksgiving off then they wouldn’t of bid it. This is an incentive for those who want to work the holiday period and have a choice if they want to do it or not via SAP. Before this LOA, I’m sure most people figured the few days would go critical anyway so they’d pick up and get CCP which means they’d credit more and cost the company more.

Rather than calling out the Chairman through a fake name, email him your concerns and thoughts.