Tripower455
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2003
- Posts
- 1,357
I hope you're right, but we've got one hell of a Swapaganda machine.
Our current contract was negotiated and passed during a long period of stagnation, in spite of next to nothing in it that addressed the issues concerning the more junior guys. One of the (many) reasons that TA 1 was shot down (albeit by less than a 1% margin) was the vast increase in DTCs. TA2 has HALF the allowable DTC restrictions that TA1 had. Guys who don't ELITT much have no clue how much those red days can cost, in both $$$ and QOL terms. But hey, if the junior guy has a chance at improving his schedule, it might cost the 1%er a TFP or 2, and we can't have that!
Flexibility is the key to productivity. Every restriction we've placed on ELITT has cost me flexibility, which directly translates to loss of QOL and money, and we placed a few doozys on it in TA2. The aforementioned DTCs and only being able to drop 4 days were concessions for the vast majority of the pilot group. We used to be able to drop down to 65 tfp (IIRC), and that changed to the 4 day "Duty Count" BS in TA2.
Don't even get me started on training scheduling. We have pilots that argue AGAINST a training bid system. I am a die hard PM guy. I've done half a dozen AMs in the last 13 years since MCO opened up, and haven't done one in at least 5 years. I typically get the A (0530) sim period, which puts me in the box with roughly 3 hours of sleep if I can't swap it with someone. This is certainly not conducive to best performance on a PC, nor does it help me learn anything on a PT, rendering any semblance of "training" null and void. Then, I get to escape from DAL, which is by far the most stressful part of the whole ordeal.
Yet another SWAPA give back, outside of section 6 of course, was the ability to pick up or give away during the 8 days that your line is locked by training, (8 days are required so that they can figure out exactly how to give you exactly what you don't want, and they are experts at it). TS has entirely too much control over your schedule in a training month. At least now I only have to dread it one month per year instead of 2.
We've got a few staunch pilot advocates in SWAPA now, but I fear that they will likely not be enough to overcome the Kool Aid inertia. The whisper campaign against them is in full force, since they are "difficult" to deal with on the BOD.
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