CO Pilot Suspended story?

[ACWild]

It's too bad, I thought I wanted to work for this company.

Can you name a company where management bs doesn't happen ever? As disappointing as this incident is, I've heard lots of unbelievable stories from friends at just about every major. It's one of the reasons that we have unions.

 

[Kugelblitz]

It's too bad, I thought I wanted to work for this company.

If that is a picture of you, I really don't want to get on your bad side, but I must say that if you are using honesty and integrity as a litmus of your willingness to work for a company in the United States you may as well seek unemployment.

I guess since your name is wowjack that isn't your picture. Sheesh, now I am feeling like some sort of Brokeback dude.

 

[Flyerjosh]

Here's a followup that I got this morning:

<forwarded message>:

I can give a little insight about this, hopefully. This is the last I heard about it. I've only flown 6hrs this month, so I don't get in too often to keep up with the latest gossip..

In the CAL contract it states that the crew rest seat on the B756 fleet is 3 seats in coach that are blocked off. It also states that if there is a seat open in Business First that was not sold to the public, the crew will be given priority over ANY non-revenue pass rider.

The VP was on company business and was on a positive space pass, but he was NOT a revenue passenger. This whole issue has been simmering for about 9 months since the new contract has come in place. (That is a whole other issue... ie, the B756 fleet is the only fleet that has to sit in coach.. the 737 fleet still gets first and the 777 fleet has its crew bunks because of the flight times. There wasn't a single person on the negotiating commitee that flew the 756.. got kind of left in the wind on that one... anyway)... back to the story.. The CA called SOCC (ops) and conferred with them and it was decided that the VP would be moved to coach and the seat be given to the crew for rest. The flight was delayed for 25 minutes while sorting this out. It arrived 5 minutes early. The CPO is in a tizzy for the delayed flight (ie, the whole fly it - grieve it thing) and is trying to make a stand on the Executive pass rider status (this has happend more than once).

FWIW, the pilots at CAL have voluntarily ponied up $10,000 to help him out while he's not getting paid for 30 days. Also, it appears his "punishment" is going to be a lot less than that anyway (one or two missed trips), and that the union is greiving the whole situation to get the crew rest nonsense solved so this doesn't happen in the future...

Hope that made sense...

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

PIC authority???

 

[IHaveAPension]

It's too bad, I thought I wanted to work for this company.

Fool!

 

[Cardinal]

In the CAL contract it states that the crew rest seat on the B756 fleet is 3 seats in coach that are blocked off. It also states that if there is a seat open in Business First that was not sold to the public, the crew will be given priority over ANY non-revenue pass rider.

Thank you for chiming in with accurate background information. I saw this posted on airliners.net and it was a gazillion page thread with absolutely no reference to the language in the contract that governs crew rest seats. I wanted to scream, but am not going to cough up cash to participate in their infantile discussions.

 

[IXLR8]

Here's a followup that I got this morning:

<forwarded message>:


FWIW, the pilots at CAL have voluntarily ponied up $10,000 to help him out while he's not getting paid for 30 days.

My oh my..how will he get by for the month?

 

[Cardinal]

I'm going to assume thats sarcasm. All have taken painful paycuts, some of them compounded by downgrades over the last few years. Few peple can manage a month unpaid without some pain. Further, the donations are more of a show of solidarity than simple monetary compensation.

 

[FCPhotography]

That guy deserves an apology from CAL. I hope ALPA demands one.

Simply amazing.

 

[Flyerjosh]

I'm going to assume thats sarcasm. All have taken painful paycuts, some of them compounded by downgrades over the last few years. Few peple can manage a month unpaid without some pain. Further, the donations are more of a show of solidarity than simple monetary compensation.

Sarcasm? Probably not. While I feel for the guy and the paycuts that he (and others) have taken, I don't have a whole lot of sympathy when you make 100-150K+ a year, and don't have at least a months worth of liquid salary saved up.

10000K would pay my mortgage for 7 MONTHS. Part of the reason that so many pilots out there at the majors have financial issues is that they live at the very max of their income, rather then living modestly.

Tie right into the pension arguements. While I think it totally sucks that pensions are getting cut- I have to wonder what these guys did with their money all of those years. My wife and I make about 90K a year combined. Not a lot, but certainly enough for us to live comfortably, and put enough into retirement accounts that will keep us comfortable after we call it quits (right now with modest growth of about 5-6% they project to be about 7 million when we retire at 60).

I think the company blows for suspending this guy. But it shouldn't have put him into such a position that he needs that much support from his fellow pilots (regardless of how generous they are or feel).