ASA Scheduling Ready Reserve Spree

[777forever]

He might be a dou che but he's *our* dou che.

Hehehe. Funny!

Just curious, this day job that you have....are you their "Village Idiot" like you're ours?

That would be a....no. I'm actually one of the best telerecruiters there. Do you think they would put up with my leaving in the middle of a shift and not showing up to work several days a month if I sucked?

 

[Speedtape]

True it is better than not getting a paycheck. But I don't think having ready reserve in th contract will automatically create a need for more pilots. I dunno, does the whole 5.5 thing take in account RR? I think RR is abuse, especially a couple days in a row. And especially when you're shortcalled for it. I can't think of a major that has RR. Repubulic doesn't even have it.

The intent of Ready Reserve was to help prevent a regular line holder from being extended at the end of his/her trip, while subsituting a viable mechanism to prevent delayed and cancelled flights. The purpose was never to create a need for more pilots, but to utilize reserves more effectively. Ask a regular line holder, who was ever extended at the end of a long trip, if he thought it was fair to be extended! Extensions suck more than Ready Reserve!

Do you know what usually created the need to extend?--the absence of Ready Reserve. The dilemma is usually created by another Pilot who called in sick at the last possible moment or a pilot who no-showed because he commutes and decided to take the last possible flight that was overbooked, delayed or cancelled. In addition, the change to an improved 2 hour callout for Reserves, which is a reasonable and fair change from the previous 1 hour callout, created the need to extend. Extensions suck more!

Your company is compensated partially for good performance. Schedule integrity is paramount to protect potential compensation. Ready Reserve is a mechanism that facilitates the success of that goal. All this, makes you important, and you probably don't even know it! It must not be too terrible, as I heard we have recently had regular line pilots volunteer for Ready Reserve slots when there was a coverage issue. Did you know that extensions suck?

By the way, thank you for doing your part in insuring schedule integrity. As a regular line holder, I will do my part when sick, and give more than adequate notice, and also, I pledge to show up for my sign-ins.

I will think of you when I get my next performance plus bonus, and the next time I get to go home at the end of a long trip without getting extended! And maybe, your next or first bonus will give you new perspective! Finally, when you become a regular line holder, if you never get extended, it will be a result of the concept of Ready Reserve. But, you may never appreciate it because, hopefully, you will never get extended at the end of your long trip!

Note: Last week, it was reported that in the last year, 3 million people have lost their job! Putting things in perspective, sitting Ready Reserve is alot better than standing in an unemployment line. Could the glass of water be half full?

Cheers!

 

[777forever]

The intent of Ready Reserve was to help prevent a regular line holder from being extended at the end of his/her trip, while subsituting a viable mechanism to prevent delayed and cancelled flights. The purpose was never to create a need for more pilots, but to utilize reserves more effectively. Ask a regular line holder, who was ever extended at the end of a long trip, if he thought it was fair to be extended! Extensions suck more than Ready Reserve!

Do you know what usually created the need to extend?--the absence of Ready Reserve. The dilemma is usually created by another Pilot who called in sick at the last possible moment or a pilot who no-showed because he commutes and decided to take the last possible flight that was overbooked, delayed or cancelled. In addition, the change to an improved 2 hour callout for Reserves, which is a reasonable and fair change from the previous 1 hour callout, created the need to extend. Extensions suck more!

Your company is compensated partially for good performance. Schedule integrity is paramount to protect potential compensation. Ready Reserve is a mechanism that facilitates the success of that goal. All this, makes you important, and you probably don't even know it! It must not be too terrible, as I heard we have recently had regular line pilots volunteer for Ready Reserve slots when there was a coverage issue. Did you know that extensions suck?

By the way, thank you for doing your part in insuring schedule integrity. As a regular line holder, I will do my part when sick, and give more than adequate notice, and also, I pledge to show up for my sign-ins.

I will think of you when I get my next performance plus bonus, and the next time I get to go home at the end of a long trip without getting extended! And maybe, your next or first bonus will give you new perspective! Finally, when you become a regular line holder, if you never get extended, it will be a result of the concept of Ready Reserve. But, you may never appreciate it because, hopefully, you will never get extended at the end of your long trip!

Note: Last week, it was reported that in the last year, 3 million people have lost their job! Putting things in perspective, sitting Ready Reserve is alot better than standing in an unemployment line. Could the glass of water be half full?

Cheers!

Great explanation. I now withdraw my whining about RR. The Performance Plus announcement today also put my whining in perspective.

 

[Speedtape]

Hehehe. Funny!



That would be a....no. I'm actually one of the best telerecruiters there. Do you think they would put up with my leaving in the middle of a shift and not showing up to work several days a month if I sucked?

Hmm! Telerecruiters? Are you recruiting people to pay their past due bills?

 

[Speedtape]

Great explanation. I now withdraw my whining about RR. The Performance Plus announcement today also put my whining in perspective.

You are a good sport! My post was not an attack on you. Your post was my opportunity to share some foundation and history regarding the issue. Thank you for that opportunity. Hopefully, the economy will soon improve, hiring will resume, and you will transition to a line holder and never get extended!

 

[SLUF4]

Well, I've been a lineholder and yes I have been extended and it sucks. I'm not mad that we have ready reserve. Like you said, it is a very valuable tool. What I dislike is the way in which it is assigned which you as a lineholder don't have to deal with. It seems to have gotten a little better, but even after scott's email a few months ago explaining they would not short call for it, I got short called several times a month for it and usually after they assigned me a trip out of order and we got that issue resolved.

 

[PBRstreetgang]

This is one of Brads favorites, now that he has it he will start with the rest of his favorites soon, you will soon hate him, his very competence will insure that the pilot cornholing will come fast and painfully, again I am glad he is your problem now!
PBR

 

[ASACRJFlyer]

Speedtape,

You are absolutely correct in that Ready Reserve is a great tool to prevent pilot extensions and improve our on time performance numbers. The problem arises when there are no restrictions or contractual language on the use of Ready Reserves. Scheduling has no limits on how many people they can have sitting RR at any one time, there was one day this month when I heard they had at least 7 crews sitting in the airport on a blue sky day.

All this could be solved with an MOU putting reasonable restraints on crew scheduling to prevent this from becoming a tool to abuse reserve pilots.

 

[Speedtape]

Speedtape,

You are absolutely correct in that Ready Reserve is a great tool to prevent pilot extensions and improve our on time performance numbers. The problem arises when there are no restrictions or contractual language on the use of Ready Reserves. Scheduling has no limits on how many people they can have sitting RR at any one time, there was one day this month when I heard they had at least 7 crews sitting in the airport on a blue sky day.

All this could be solved with an MOU putting reasonable restraints on crew scheduling to prevent this from becoming a tool to abuse reserve pilots.

Please answer the following in order listed:

1. What is an MOU and how does it work?
2. Is an MOU a unilateral agreement?
3. How many times were you on R.R last month?
4. How many times can R.R. be assigned in a month?
5. In any month, what is the most R.R. assignments that you have been assigned?
6. Are you paid to sit Ready Reserve?
7. How is R.R. a tool to abuse Reserves Pilots?
8. In your experience on Ready Reserve, about how many times (pct.) have you been assigned a flying assignment?

Thanks,
Looking forward to your response

 

[SLUF4]

Well, I'll respond to your questions too. Well a few of them, since I'm not a lawyer and didn't bring up an MOU. Of course you know we can be assigned it 6 times a month. Usually I get it 4 or 5 times. The most I have been assigned is 6 in a month. Yeah...I'm "paid" 4 hours credit, but usually am under 75 so it doesn't matter and E-trip only credits me 3.75, so it doesn't help me out in the bucket correctly either. Maybe they fixed the 3.75 thing-haven't had a RR where I haven't flown in a few months so I don't know. How is it a tool to abuse pilots? Well, my experience in the past was that I get it after I call them out on doing something incorrectly. This usually gave me RR til midnight on a short call. Things have gotten a little better, but I do personally know of one person that got assigned RR 5 days in a row once. As for assignments I'd say I fly about 85 percent of the time I have it and usually it ends up being a 2 or 3 day trip if I have late RR (which is often). If I have the very early one it is usually just a roundtrip or nothing at all. I know the FO's do not fly as much on RR. Also I feel that the company is not fulfilling their end of the deal with a lounge specifically for us on ready reserve. We basically have a jail cell we can't even get into in the morning because of the commuters. How many times have you had RR, speedtape?

 

[ASACRJFlyer]

SLUF, you answered more than I would have... Where to start... I'm not even going to answer the first two questions because if you goal was to talk down to me or make me look ignorant on contractual language, congratulations, I'm not a lawyer and I haven't held a union position yet. MOU, LOA, Amendment, pick a term, whatever it takes to put a few more guidelines on how scheduling can use Ready Reserves.

As far as the rest of your questions, it's obvious your goal is to make me or any reserve who doesn't like sitting Ready Reserve look like a bunch of complainers who should just be happy to have a job. Most pilots will b!itch about a 3 hour sit of airport appreciation, imagine how our pilot group would complain if everyone had to sit for 8 hours at a time. I'd like to know the answer to SLUF's question, how many times have you sat Ready Reserve? As with most contractual issues, because it only affects a small percentage of the pilots, it won't receive the same attention it would if the senior guys were being affected. I guarantee you, if everyone had to take their turn at Ready Reserve, there would be more scheduling rules in place.

All this being said, I'm fine with sitting on Ready Reserve, it serves a good purpose. The problem arises when scheduling calls in 8 crews at a time because they can and assigns RR based on the whims of the scheduler who happens to be on duty that day.

 

[Freebrd]

It sucks especially at 0600 when both lounges are filled with sleepers and the RR lounge is also filled up with commuting sleepers. Can't even watch TV

Tell your complaint to the CPs, or send an email to SH...won't get changed whining on here.

 

[ASA_Aviator]

Tell your complaint to the CPs, or send an email to SH...won't get changed whining on here.

This will improve in April when the new lounge/operations area opens.

 

[SLUF4]

It has been told to them a long time ago and they put a sign up there. Does the sign keep people out? No.

 

[Speedtape]

Well, I'll respond to your questions too. Well a few of them, since I'm not a lawyer and didn't bring up an MOU. Of course you know we can be assigned it 6 times a month. Usually I get it 4 or 5 times. The most I have been assigned is 6 in a month. Yeah...I'm "paid" 4 hours credit, but usually am under 75 so it doesn't matter and E-trip only credits me 3.75, so it doesn't help me out in the bucket correctly either. Maybe they fixed the 3.75 thing-haven't had a RR where I haven't flown in a few months so I don't know. How is it a tool to abuse pilots? Well, my experience in the past was that I get it after I call them out on doing something incorrectly. This usually gave me RR til midnight on a short call. Things have gotten a little better, but I do personally know of one person that got assigned RR 5 days in a row once. As for assignments I'd say I fly about 85 percent of the time I have it and usually it ends up being a 2 or 3 day trip if I have late RR (which is often). If I have the very early one it is usually just a roundtrip or nothing at all. I know the FO's do not fly as much on RR. Also I feel that the company is not fulfilling their end of the deal with a lounge specifically for us on ready reserve. We basically have a jail cell we can't even get into in the morning because of the commuters. How many times have you had RR, speedtape?

FYI, I was on Reserve for over 2 years under the old system. I would have loved to have had the Reserve system that you have now; but, I had what I had. I am sure most of the 80 that just got furloughed would change places with both of us. We are still getting a paycheck. It's all a matter of perspective.

I am quite sure, that as long as they have had reserve pilots in this industry--it has sucked. Up until this contract, the Ready Reserve was the guy getting off his trip--sometime a 4 day trip. Pairings were built so that one more roundtrip could always be assigned. A few years ago, extensions were the norm. Most of us have been there also. Ready Reserve, in concept, is a much better alternative for the company and the rest of the pilot group than the previous practices. Sorry, that it is not pleasant for you. I have shared your pain--just in a different way in a Reserve system that was even more unpredictable and arbitrary in the way assignments were assigned.

Hopefully, you will not be on Reserve for over 2 years!