Here’s one more “FACT” that the MEC can chew on and come up with yet another “MYTH” of its own. When this merger was announced in April 2005, the most junior East Captain cut in just above our bottom 20 captains. His Nicolau number was 2895.
Today, the most junior EastCA holding a (non-E190) CA bid owns a Nicolau seniority number of 3767. That is NOT a misprint, but it is a difference of 872 numbers (3767 minus 2895). The difference is approximately 480 CA slots back east since the merger was announced. Almost all those slots are due to attrition. And those 480 new CA slots have been created even though the East lost an additional 58 aircraft in 2005 (see the Transition Agreement, Attachment A). At 6.3 crews per aircraft, 58 aircraft equals well over 350 CA slots lost. Yet the East has upgraded over 480 CAs.
[The junior E-190 CA in PHL was almost 600 deep on the furlough list when the merger was announced (source: East’s June 2005 seniority list). In “FACT,” 16 out of the 64 E-190 CAs were on the furlough list in June 2005. Our most junior FO would slot in as an E-190 line holder, if he could only bid it. To put those numbers into prospective, the junior E-190 CA has a combined seniority number of 5144. Our most junior FO’s combined seniority list number is 4769…a difference of 375 numbers.]
Out West, when this merger was announced, the most junior West Captain had a West seniority number of 1145. Today, our most junior West Captain has a seniority number of 1045…but he’s the same pilot, but still holding down the bottom of the CA list as he has for the past 30 months. It’s been two and a half years and no movement.
In the interest of accuracy in reporting, we will say this: due to pay differential, multiple bases, commuting schedules and other lifestyle issues, a much higher percentage of East FOs by-pass upgrade at first opportunity when compared to West upgrade trends, where most West FOs do take the first upgrade available. And since the merger was announced, all available West upgrades have gone to FOs who bypassed previous upgrade opportunities.
Still, we have had only two upgrade bids and trained only 29 new CAs (others await training) out West since the merger was announced, despite attrition in excess of 120 CAs. There have been approximately 480 upgrades back East (the East number is a bit more difficult to pin down, because their pilots can upgrade with as little as six months remaining before mandatory retirement). Virtually 100% of the East upgrades have been due to attrition. The company has added hours back east after the removal of the 58 aircraft, but those added hours have been absorbed with average monthly block time adjustments.
Here’s the point: West has experienced essentially zero career advancement growth (no net upgrades and no new-hires) in the past 30 months, while the East has enjoyed close to 500 upgrades and has now recalled everyone who is willing and able to come back out of a pool of over 1700 furloughed pilots.
[Before we continue to blame our career stagnation plight on the “rascally” East MEC’s stalling tactics, out of those 480 upgrades, more than 370 occurred prior to the Nicolau Award.]
When the merger was announced, the East’s most junior CA cut in below P-2197 on the combined Nicolau list. That was and still is very close to our most junior CA. In terms of numbers you can use, if all those East upgrades came west and every West pilot who could bid an upgrade did so, P-2887 would be in the left seat on the latest bid.
Obviously that is an absurd possibility, since upgrades are “shared” (well, at least in a fully “merged world” they are shared), so here are two reasonable scenarios to consider. Today, the East’s most junior (non-E190) CA cuts in at P-2683 on the “Nic.” If West pilots upgraded at just the same relative percentage as East pilots, P-2583 could hold a CA seat in PHX or LAS. If West pilots upgraded at their traditional upgrade rate and if East pilots received a pro-rata percentage of upgrades, P-2630 could hold the left seat. The difference in seniority numbers between P-2630 and P-2228 (our most junior CA) is 334 seniority numbers!
Today, the most junior EastCA holding a (non-E190) CA bid owns a Nicolau seniority number of 3767. That is NOT a misprint, but it is a difference of 872 numbers (3767 minus 2895). The difference is approximately 480 CA slots back east since the merger was announced. Almost all those slots are due to attrition. And those 480 new CA slots have been created even though the East lost an additional 58 aircraft in 2005 (see the Transition Agreement, Attachment A). At 6.3 crews per aircraft, 58 aircraft equals well over 350 CA slots lost. Yet the East has upgraded over 480 CAs.
[The junior E-190 CA in PHL was almost 600 deep on the furlough list when the merger was announced (source: East’s June 2005 seniority list). In “FACT,” 16 out of the 64 E-190 CAs were on the furlough list in June 2005. Our most junior FO would slot in as an E-190 line holder, if he could only bid it. To put those numbers into prospective, the junior E-190 CA has a combined seniority number of 5144. Our most junior FO’s combined seniority list number is 4769…a difference of 375 numbers.]
Out West, when this merger was announced, the most junior West Captain had a West seniority number of 1145. Today, our most junior West Captain has a seniority number of 1045…but he’s the same pilot, but still holding down the bottom of the CA list as he has for the past 30 months. It’s been two and a half years and no movement.
In the interest of accuracy in reporting, we will say this: due to pay differential, multiple bases, commuting schedules and other lifestyle issues, a much higher percentage of East FOs by-pass upgrade at first opportunity when compared to West upgrade trends, where most West FOs do take the first upgrade available. And since the merger was announced, all available West upgrades have gone to FOs who bypassed previous upgrade opportunities.
Still, we have had only two upgrade bids and trained only 29 new CAs (others await training) out West since the merger was announced, despite attrition in excess of 120 CAs. There have been approximately 480 upgrades back East (the East number is a bit more difficult to pin down, because their pilots can upgrade with as little as six months remaining before mandatory retirement). Virtually 100% of the East upgrades have been due to attrition. The company has added hours back east after the removal of the 58 aircraft, but those added hours have been absorbed with average monthly block time adjustments.
Here’s the point: West has experienced essentially zero career advancement growth (no net upgrades and no new-hires) in the past 30 months, while the East has enjoyed close to 500 upgrades and has now recalled everyone who is willing and able to come back out of a pool of over 1700 furloughed pilots.
[Before we continue to blame our career stagnation plight on the “rascally” East MEC’s stalling tactics, out of those 480 upgrades, more than 370 occurred prior to the Nicolau Award.]
When the merger was announced, the East’s most junior CA cut in below P-2197 on the combined Nicolau list. That was and still is very close to our most junior CA. In terms of numbers you can use, if all those East upgrades came west and every West pilot who could bid an upgrade did so, P-2887 would be in the left seat on the latest bid.
Obviously that is an absurd possibility, since upgrades are “shared” (well, at least in a fully “merged world” they are shared), so here are two reasonable scenarios to consider. Today, the East’s most junior (non-E190) CA cuts in at P-2683 on the “Nic.” If West pilots upgraded at just the same relative percentage as East pilots, P-2583 could hold a CA seat in PHX or LAS. If West pilots upgraded at their traditional upgrade rate and if East pilots received a pro-rata percentage of upgrades, P-2630 could hold the left seat. The difference in seniority numbers between P-2630 and P-2228 (our most junior CA) is 334 seniority numbers!
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