SayAgainOver

March 29, 2009

This is written by your fellow First Officers. Please read...

As you all know the company is throwing the "F" word at us: Furlough! Your fellow First Officers would like your help. As soon as an airline announces furlough, it is appropriate for pilots to refrain from asking for Open Time, or Overtime. If you’re not one of the 75 pilots desperately hoping for a miracle, please, we ask you to try and remember those days when you were sitting low on the seniority list. We realize that Open Time has been blocked for most days. But some days scheduling unblocks it. If we as a group can refrain from requesting Open Time, it may help keep those First Officers expecting furlough from losing their jobs. We need to do this as a group. If pilots pick up Open Time while others are furloughed, Crew Resources and Crew Scheduling will believe we’re staffed appropriately and their flights will be covered...

Any pilot at American Eagle that says this Furlough will not affect them is not being honest with themselves. It is historical practice at the majors, such as DAL, for pilots to forego accepting OT when their brothers and sisters hit the streets.

Just a few weekends ago, on March 8th, Chicago experienced three days of thunderstorms. Chicago's Embraer First Officer's Reserves were all used except two on March 8th. Today is Sunday, March 29th. Chicago is experiencing a spring snow storm. The reserve lists for ORD EMJ FO, ORD EMJ CA, and ORD CRJ FO has all been used, and ORD CRJ CA's have 4 available...and it's only noon. And we're furloughing?

We can all expect to see an increase in junior manning, Captains flying right seat, and off-duty calls...Never fly fatigued.

DFW and LGA are running out of FOs regularly, and Chicago Reserves are being deadhead to cover the flying. These are the same FOs that were displaced from their base in past months.

From the day you read this until the day they recall back First Officers, please help out your brothers and sisters. Please remember you were once on the bottom of seniority. When open time becomes unblocked please stop yourself from picking up extra pay while Crew Resources is laying off your coworkers. Even consider refraining from picking it up prior to May 1st. Let them consider the idea that we may be staffed sparsely, as March 29th is illustrating.

Everyone is suffering financially right now, but the 75 on the slate are expected to suffer significantly more. They came in at a time when we were short staffed and junior manning was a daily occurrence. Now, their thanks is hitting the streets.

Let that open trip trickle down the system, maybe scheduling will have to fight for that flight to get staffed. Also, on days like today, some pilots may have the interest to earn a little extra pay. Because of today’s weather, it is inevitable that they will start calling pilots on their days off to staff flights. Don't answer your phone.

We need to fight this as a group, The company needs to get the idea we will be short staffed, don't give them any reason otherwise by helping them staff flights when they become short. They just furloughed!!

Your Fellow Eagle First Officers

freezingflyboy

This reminds of a couple months ago when I had picked up a turn advertised by another pilot. A week went by and, forgetting I had picked it up as an advertisement, I traded it for a better turn in open time. By the time I realized what I had done it was too late and I was annoyed with myself for such a bonehead move. In casual conversation with the captain, I asked him what his thoughts were on what I'd done. Was it ethical or was a I stooge who picks up open time when there are guys on the street. His response? A roll of the eyes and a "Do you REALLY think that not picking up the turn would keep a guy off the street?" I was flabbergasted.

It wasn't the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last that I talk to someone who sees no problem, or even brags about, picking up extra flying while we're furloughing. I'm at XJT and we have 335 pilots on the street with rumors of more furloughs on the horizon and there seems to be NO shortage of folks picking up open time. Am I the only one bothered by this?

Lowlevel

Good luck with this ( I mean that ). At Comair, we have 298 on the street (including me), and there are still those FO's out there that pick up open time. One could only hope that in the fall, when more furloughs are expected, they are the ones out here looking for jobs, so they can see what it's like.

eaglefly

YOu DO realize that companies have gone after pilots for posting statements on public forums advocating illegal job actions ?

Although it might say "Your fellow Eagle First Officers" in the letter, the company would hold YOU accountable for public posting of this. Just looking out for you brother as if they decide to go after you, they'll need to either furlough 1 less pilot or recall only 74.

I'd hate to see a career trashed before it even got started...........good luck though.

Pilotpip

Four four-day open time trips taken over the course of a month equals one less pilot needed.

It's a lot easier to spend a hundred or two hundred less a month than it is to lose $2000 a month and health insurance.

I was furloughed for four months. I believe the reason I got a call back was because of people not doing open time.

Trip trades are a different ball game. They're already covered.

CaptKrunch

I understand a organized sick out or such being seen as a work action, but I fail to see how pilots asking pilots not to pick up EXTRA WORK is. However no matter how much people say that picking up open time is evil people will still do it. If we could get everyone to stop that is one thing but MOST will not.

coldpilot

We are short staffed as it is even with people picking up OT. Anybody not picking up OT isn't going to get these guys recalled any faster. We know we are short staffed, the union knows it and crew scheduling knows it.

Please remember that over the summer season crew scheduling is going to be put in a very tough spot with trying to cover flying, especially during OSO. Let's try and work with them instead of fighting tooth and nail with them. If it's cool per the CBA don't gripe about it even if it means going home a little bit late. They should be the recipients of our sympathy, they are in the same boat as us with regards to pressure from management to keep the ship moving. Fly by the red and blue books and that's all.

withthatsaid182

It was sunny and warm this weekend in the Northeast. Today JFK went down to 0 (zero) FOs. LGA was down to 5. My friend who's a LGA FO was deadheaded to ORD to fly out there. Last week another LGA FO went to DFW to cover flying. Granted this is due to severe weather and is not necessarily the norm, however, with 75 of us hitting the street and the next 30-40 on the list going to the ATR, how will the Northeast ever be staffed?

As far as guys picking up OT? It is going to happen. People do have needs. I would hope though that in at least the next month or so they try to make a point by avoiding any OT.

The whole purpose of this furlough is fishy. I think something big is going to happen soon with AMR and AA and AE.

The Juice

I think Eagle mgmt would have a hard time finding a pilot named "SayAgainOver" on the seniority list.

withthatsaid182

spell it backwards and translate it into latin...take the letters and assign them a number and that'll be his employee number