TheMitigator

When the captain bids started being unfilled, they started moving the vacancies to where pilots actuallly want to be based. That will never, ever, ever, ever happen again. Humongous concession, the effect of which we will never even really be able to measure. Everyone has gotten "retro fever" and is turning blind eyes to huge red flags. You think this wont effect you because you are already in the seat/base you want to be in but it will undoubtedly stunt the growth below you.

Its also selling short the future pilots in a huge way, pilots who are forced to upgrade will inevitably be forced into bases they dont want to be in, transferring out to the base where they want to be as a captain will take years instead of the months that it does for their classmates.

A yes vote is selling out yourselves and future pilots. Full stop.

ugleeual

it will all be ok in a few weeks… take some deep cleansing breaths. 🙄

guppie

Newhires will be forced into bases they don't want? Oh the horror! They are newhires. They get the bids that go unfilled. See Section 8 of the contract.... for the last 25 years at least. I voted yes, and it wasn't even close.

Guppie (the sellout)

TheMitigator

Guess you quickly scanned my post, looked for what you were looking for and completely missed the point on that one. Just like you did with the TA apparently. They wont be able to transfer as easy as every other pilot has for the last 30 years.

DarkSideMoon

They’ll also be making easily double what new hires have for the last 30 years even adjusted for inflation. A year of positive space commuting and enough pay that buying tickets to work for the rest of their seat lock is a rounding error. That’s a far cry from the days of sleeping in crew rooms or commuting to some dump crashpad for years.

TheMitigator

Fair points

AbjectFutility

Come on guys, let's keep some perspective. We went for YEARS ( yes, years) with maybe 2 vacancy bids per YEAR. Other than our current growth spurt, the easiest movement we've had was during displacements. I've been with UAL for 26 years and I've seen jumpseats limited to cockpit only, massive cuts in flights, low pay, massive pay cuts, terminated pension, extremely limited upgrade/lateral opportunities, no base trade mechanism, and on and on. I'm all for making things better, and reject the idea that everyone should 'suffer' as a right of passage.... But I also do some serious eye rolling at the hyperbolic doomsaying and projected horrors some of you post here

hummingbear

You’re kind of missing the point. By forcing more new hires into EWR/SFO, the company reduces the long-term need in other bases. So those seats in IAH, MCO, etc, that would otherwise be going to more senior pilots dry up in favor of more coastal positions getting assigned in BI. This would be a long-lasting shift, as allows the company to optimize its preferred staffing balance.

So no, it’s not just, oh no, the NHs won’t get their base preferences, it’s that fewer of us will get our base preferences because the NHs will do our current flying out of the bases we don’t like for cheaper.

AbjectFutility

Do you really expect our pilot base structure to be status quo for the rest of your career? I'll just break your heart now.... The company will grow, shrink, open, and even close categories regardless of this super leverage you think we have. Based on your posts on other subjects I know you are a thoughtful, rational person. My suggestion is that you find a way to get past the obsession you have regarding this issue. You'll be chasing shadows for years if you don't.

Andy

Patently false. I was hired in 2000. By 2014, I was ~95% on the seniority list. Moving between bases has never been easier than the present. Where do you people come up with this absurdity?

This is a really stupid post.
You're fairly new to the industry. Stop pretending you're an expert. Times have never been better as far as getting your base of choice. And even if the company sends more pilots to SFO/EWR, it will still be easy to get to your desired base.