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SYSTEM BID 11-02
Last Thursday, the Company provided the Scheduling Committee with our first look at system bid 11-02 only minutes prior to its release. Conveniently, this bid was released the day before the monthly System Staffing Committee meeting (SSC), rather than after our input. To tell you that we were disappointed would be an understatement at best. Here are a few facts about this bid:
• Only four retirements are considered during the 12 month period.
• The bid numbers include the end of all RFL and LTVRF.
• These numbers include all returning COLAs that do not have the right to extend.
• There are no recalls.
• These numbers include significant reductions in full time training instructors, with instructors returning back to the line or leaving employment at CAL.
• Missing is a viable plan to appropriately staff the HNL flying from the west coast.
Based on our current information, this bid does not make sense. In the last system bid (10-08), the Company initially accounted for 24 active pilot retirements (only four are projected for this one). The actual number when Dec. 1, 2009 rolled around was closer to 70. It is a fact that historically, many more pilots have retired each year. We have more than 750 pilots who are 58 years of age or older and between 200 and 300 who are over age 60.
“With an increasing number of 777 Captains and First Officers over age 60, be aware that FAR pairing regulations may have the practical effect of restricting monthly PBS award options for 777 First Officers who are over 60.”
In making this statement, Flight Operations Management seems to recognize the issue, but their staffing numbers as reflected in the bid clearly do not. With the LTVRF and RFL programs ending this spring, COLA returns tapped out and the training instructor pipeline closed, we have real concerns about the summer flying season. It appears that with this bid, they plan to use your quality of life to squeak through another summer. When they run short, we should expect them to use the same tired staffing tricks they’ve used before:
• Cramming ridiculously large amounts of block time, credit and items that look and feel like work, but don’t count as work (a.k.a. deadhead and CQP) onto our schedules
• Double reserve periods in a single calendar day
• Rolling reserve days off
• Instructor TIA days
• Junior manning
• Reassignments
• Captains flying in the right seat
We are concerned that with this bid, this summer will shape up to be the same or worse than the infamous summer of 2007. We all remember the staffing nightmares of that period: the situation was detrimental to pilots, harmed our relationship with management and resulted in flight cancellations that diminished passengers’ views of Continental.
I have asked our Scheduling Committee to continue to work this issue. We are not satisfied with the system bid and we will be talking with senior management about our concerns.
F/O Doug Marotta
CAL MEC Vice-Chairma
