Realityman too, read the message boards. The gripes I'm talking about are all there. NJI integration- unfair. A and B scale for crew bases- unfair. Some seniority issues. Stuff like that. For the most part people are content. What I see is when the union will not admit for one second that they could have done better. I have laughed heartily at some of the defenses. I for once would just like to hear a ...... yeah we sure F-ed that up. Never have seen it once. Just attacks a the people who bring up the points.
And you all may be comfortable having best friends on opposite sides of the table. Makes me cringe.
Well, as I said, a few things with the IBB weren't perfect. I myself was on the union boards pointing out what I perceived as some flaws when we were reviewing the document before the vote. However, most of the issues have either been resolved, or haven't proven to be nearly the large problems that some thought they would.
As for chatter on the message boards, same gripes by the same few people ALL THE TIME! These are the folks who will simply never be happy. I've heard all the complaints about how the integration with the "I" side are unfair. And there has turned out to be absolutely no merit in them whatsoever. We get ALL the co-pilot slots. And we get 1/3 of ALL the captain slots. Yes, even if the only slots are in the GV. How? Because the LOA says we get 1/3 of ALL the captain slots. So if they have 10 openings in the GV, but no current openings in the GIV, they MUST create 3 openings in the GIV anyway for our captains. So regardless of which Gulfstream has the spots (even if it's currently a plane we can't start in) there still MUST be an equivalent number of captain spots made available in the GIV for us. Now, the BIG question is what happens if all the GIV's are phased out before the final integration. How do they make spots in a fleet that doesn't exist anymore? My understanding (it could be wrong, but perhaps BW could clarify it) is that we will get spots following the exact same procedure that current NJI F/O's would have to follow. In other words, if we are able to start F/O's on the GV, then we'll simply start putting our own captains in the GV. However, I find it highly unlikely the GIV's will all be gone prior to the final integration, so I think it's a moot point. And once the integration is complete, getting into ANY Gulfstream will be done the same way any of our other planes are now, by seniority bidding.
Other than that one issue, what's so unfair about the integration LOA? Like I said, same few people on the union boards complaining about anything and everything. And most of theses things turn out to be a non-issue.
Did you follow all the griping from a certain few about how the 18-day reduced schedule would cause all the senior folks to bid over and bump the junior folks off the 18-day? So, have you heard ANYTHING about junior folks being bumped enmasse off the 18-day because of some large influx of senior guys to the 18-day reduced? Hmmmm, seems to have turned out to be a non-issue. I'm sure a few were bumped, but it seems most retained the schedule type they wanted. Ah well, never let what actually happens get in the way of what a few hotheads think will happen. Being angry and disgruntled is always much more fun!
A and B scale for basing? Hardly. Folks keep forgetting that while, yes, we did vote in only 5 bases for crews in 2005, the senior folks stepped up and helped ratify IBB in '07 which eliminated a HUGE part of the HBA system for those that already had it. If anyone currently on the HBA system ever wants to change to a city that is part of the 100 crew bases, they lose the ability, forever, to go back onto the HBA system. So complain all you want, things aren't that far apart on basing as you think, and in fact are getting closer together. But again, those on the union boards are far "happier" complaining about everything than acknowledging things aren't quite as bad as they make it out to be when presenting only one side of the story.
There are some seniority issues. Can't deny it. But you know, EVERYONE had the same opportunity to read over the IBB document prior to ratification, and much of what is being complained about now was not caught by the folks doing the complaining, yet they somehow expected our union leadership to catch EVERY little gotcha. But these same complainers don't seem to wanna step up and volunteer with the union to hep make things better.
Personally, I'm more interested in the blatant crap the company is pulling, such as the complete ignoring of the whole PFP part of the CBA. I'd rather have our union pursuing that matter than wasting time putting out apologies to all those that feel the leadership didn't live up to their expectations.
Again, I don't doubt you've flown with some unhappy folks. But I haven't. I agree there are some areas the union hasn't adequately covered, but maybe it's more of a staffing issue than anything else. We the pilots (as well as the company), keep piling absolute mountains of crap on the union leadership's plate, and then pitch a fit when personal favorite issue du jour isn't covered IMMEDIATELY. Utterly silly.
Sorry to hear you fly with so many unhappy folks. Must be a real drag. With all that's going on I'm personally VERY happy that we won't aren't going to be asked to contribute to (or pay for entirely) our health insurance, or lose our 401K company match, or take a pay cut, until much later. It does tend to put things in perspective a bit for me.
I seriously doubt we would have seen a furlough mitigation package and we'd have been lucky to retain status quo on the contract. We should all be thankful that a strong labor-management working relationship has had a positive influence on how events transpired--in 2007 and recently. NJW
Those who follow this board closely will recall that I had long decried the low wages of NJ FOs and hated the domicile system. I saw IBB as an opportunity to improve the lives of the NJ pilots and their families and I posted that belief at that time--frequently. I also pointed out that supporting IBB then would encourage Company-Union partnership on projects going forward. IBB passed by a wide margin (low 80s) so obviously my view of it as progress was shared by the vast majority of NJ pilots and their spouses.
L/NJW
