Could the RLA provide for an interim solution?

[Flopgut]

Congress can impose a resolution in major disputes under the Railway Labor Act. Could this power be used in another way? Could Congress be asked to suspend the Experienced Pilot Act for a short period and impose retirement on those over 60? It's a solution that I believe is at least worth considering here at the halfway point of the change period. The numbers of pilots out of work is one of many obvious factors mitigating why it was changed in the first place. The positive effect would be instant and enormously helpful. The adverse affects would in all actuality directed upon those who were/are more causal to the specific, negative situation than age 65 was.

Matter of fact, it might be a good option to have in place anytime there is worker redundancy.

 

[Draginass]

TOTALLY unworkable. Think very large class action law suits. And if in the airline industry, then why not in every other industry?

Congress will do nothing. They are cowardly hacks. Even after all the shocking facts of the Colgan accident, and after the cameras are off in the congressional hearings circus, they genuflect to the feckless FAA and let Mr. Babbitt string-out duty day, fatigue, and crew rest regulations into oblivion, along with ALPA's indifference.

It used to be that there had to be blood all over the 6pm news to get anybody in the government to do anything. It looks like not even that motivates anybody in the government to actually do something anymore.

I'm afraid that as long as the status quo is being maintained in the airline industry, the hacks in Congress will do NOTHING. They could care less about your pay or working conditions as long as the airplanes take off on time with cheap ticket prices.

 

[Flopgut]

When Prater wanted 65, he got it done.

It was Prater's words that made the USAir guys think opening the arbitrators award was a possiblity. Look where it led. What reason did he have?

Take UAL as an example. Top 500 have never been this senior, and the bottom 500 have never been this junior. The reason, of course, is what the top 500 let [made] happen to scope.

I think of this because I wonder at what point does Prater's consience kicks in? When does any old guy's conscience kick in? When Prater's generation was under the gun, the old guys at the time didn't throw them under the bus. Congress doesn't have to actually do anything, we simply neeed to make the argument. At least verbalize a protest and give the old guys and Prater chance to show some dignity.

Of course I'm not expecting them to.

Seriously. Pilot loeaders from both UAL and CAL should put out talking points on how integration would go if both carriers imposed retirement on whatever number of pilots it took to have the most junior pilot at each carrier DOH match. It would be over in and instant, and spare the pilot group decades of churn. Wouldn't be much different than Prater having the rule written to exclude anybody coming back.

Does anybody who knows their history not think this is exactly what Prater would want if he were furloughed UAL[ALPA]?

 

[Full of LUV]

When Prater wanted 65, he got it done.

It was Prater's words that made the USAir guys think opening the arbitrators award was a possiblity. Look where it led. What reason did he have?

Take UAL as an example. Top 500 have never been this senior, and the bottom 500 have never been this junior. The reason, of course, is what the top 500 let [made] happen to scope.

I think of this because I wonder at what point does Prater's consience kicks in? When does any old guy's conscience kick in? When Prater's generation was under the gun, the old guys at the time didn't throw them under the bus. Congress doesn't have to actually do anything, we simply neeed to make the argument. At least verbalize a protest and give the old guys and Prater chance to show some dignity.

Of course I'm not expecting them to.

Seriously. Pilot loeaders from both UAL and CAL should put out talking points on how integration would go if both carriers imposed retirement on whatever number of pilots it took to have the most junior pilot at each carrier DOH match. It would be over in and instant, and spare the pilot group decades of churn. Wouldn't be much different than Prater having the rule written to exclude anybody coming back.

Does anybody who knows their history not think this is exactly what Prater would want if he were furloughed UAL[ALPA]?

Flop,
The problem is only the junior / furloughed / regional pilots think there is any sort of problem. The guy who turned 60 the day after the change thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread, and don't you know, they were promised vacation houses on the beach in retirement with 6 figure incomes the rest of their life after a 7 figure initial payout..........

Oh BTW, the senior / old guys union runs congress as well and you will continue to see the same effects even in the Social Security, as the system is bankrupted for the retirees to have another house on the lake while the workers will be paying ever increasing taxes knowing full well the system will be broke by the time they would have used it.

If age 65 was an inevitability, then why not phase it in over a decade? Because the windfall was designed for the people in power NOW, not in the future.
Luv