ACA bid awards

[g159av8tor]

The rolling bid was posted yesterday at ACA. The J-41 went super junior due to the high CRJ and FRj seat vacancies on both sides of the cockpit and due to the fact that the J-41 is supposed to be retiring starting Jan. 2003. The most junior pilot awarded is an 185_ _ employee number (probably be 6 months at the company exactly at the start of class). The second most junior J-41 captain award went to me for the 11/12/02 class. I was hired 04/26/02. Two others from my initial class will once again be my classmates in Nov.

I've heard both sides of the story, but I'll trade a hard line and three bars flying from the right seat for 2x the $, a type, (finally)and four bars flying from the right seat (and occasionally-o.k. rarely- the left).

The moral of the story is bid anyway because somebody else probably screwed up.

Tailwinds...

 

[SkywayFO]

Just wondering how Junior the CRJ and FRJ capt. Bid went. And will all the new J41 FO opening open the possibility of them changing a class on me. I am in the 9/16 CRJ class. Wondering if they could pull the old switcherooo. Not that 90hr pay on the 41 would be bad, just the commute will suck. If anybody has any more bid info that would be nice to see how things are shaping up.

 

[JTrain]

G159,

Congrats on your upgrade award....I think that 6 months + 1 week upgrade is the fastest I've ever seen, with the possible exception of some J32 types who upgraded in 2-3 months in early 2000.

As far as I understand what happened with the J41 CA award, the rules regarding withholding were modified on the Monday (2 days before the bid was awarded) and that's what allowed it to fall so low.

Basically anybody who is currently a J41 FO, once their 1st year seatlock is up, had bid over to the CRJ for the pay (approx an extra $12-14/hr). These ppl had been withheld by the company, however the union managed to get the company to see that these ppls 1yr seatlock for equipment change began 75 days after the date of the class they could've held, and not 75 days after the class they were witheld to (which was frequently 5-6 months down the road).

I think this agreement makes sense, but *a lot* of J41 FOs who had been withheld from the CRJ and weren't going to class until Jan/Feb/March had planned on bidding J41 CA. It just so happened that under the old system, they could've changed their bid and gone to J41 CA class, but now they were seatlocked in the CRJ. I know there are a lot of frustrated J41 FOs walking around the IAD campus. I was talking to one senior FO who had bid standups this month specifically so they could be at home and study + prep for upgrade class.....now this person was pretty peeved.

However another guy I know had the (good?) fortune of being hired in late Aug 01, in the last J41 FO class prior to 9/11. His year seatlock expired right as the rolling bid came out, he bid J41 CA on a whim, and now he's lucky enough to be going to class. It is amazing how his timing worked out, because only a year ago, the co. was talking about furloughing his class...

As for the CRJ CA bids, they went appropriately senior, I think you would've needed to be hired no later than Jan 00 to hold it. Note some ppl are going to CRJ CA class this fall with DOHs much later than that, bud they'd bid under the old rolling bid system. FRJ CA went moderately senior, actually surprisingly jr. in retrospect.

JTrain

 

[g159av8tor]

JTrain,

Thanks for the info. I haven't not been around long enough to reason your explanation, but I understand it. I can understand the frustration that the ppl J-41 FOs are feeling. I would have been a near life time co-pilot at my other job where there was no seniority just good 'ole boys (not me). But seniority is supposed to help you. Since I know I'll be flying with FOs more senior to me, I hope me and my cohorts don't run into any bad blood over the issue. Should I take out a life insurance policy?

Anyway, I'm still in shock and ever grateful to be an employed pilot.

Tailwinds...

 

[AirBoard]

To sum up the lastest rolling bid:

J41 - if you want the four bars fast and you don't mind the props this ones for you 5/02 hire date held 11/02 class. Genereally 9/01 to early 02' hire will hold CA for this year. Ave 1 yr. upgrade

FRJ - too junior for the CRJ but don't want the 41 goes over to the FRJ. Mid/late 00' hire holds CA starting now through 3/03 classes. Ave. 2 yr upgrade.

CRJ - everyone who had there pay protection lapse is taking thier seniority and moving to the RJ. Mid/late 99' hire goes CA through 3/03 classes. a few lucky ones who got a spot on the last rolling bid in 8/01 with 11/00 hire dates are listed for 11/02 classes but after that it's all senior. Ave 3 yr upgrade.

 

[BlueRidger]

Congrats to all the new Captain awards! It just goes to show always bid the highest thing you can hold. Once you have some seniority than quality of life issues become more tractable.

Once the super junior CA's are displaced from the declining fleet they must be awarded a class in what ever their seniority can hold. My question is if their seniority can only hold a CRJ FO slot is that what they must be awarded? or must they be given a captain slot in the most junior airplane? This may mean that those lucky new J41 CA's may only be captains as long as the J41's are around. There are a lot of senior people who did not bid who can easily hold the FRJ but are waiting for the CRJ