FedEX HKG LOA is out, and boy is it funny...

[Fox-Tree]

Huh? Many here are currently in the military.......

Many "where"?? WTF are you talking about?

No one interviewed and got hired at Fedex with the provision that it would someday become similar to the military. Even if some of us choose to continue to serve in the Guard or Reserves, that doesn't mean it's okay to turn this job into the civilian equivalent.

 

[AV80R]

...No one interviewed and got hired at Fedex with the provision that it would someday become similar to the military...

Then again, since (supposedly) the vast majority of purple pilots are ex-military maybe the transition won't be this hard? Sorry, folks just a joke, really!

 

[F18-FDX]

Money--union wanted more but says company will just say no. BC's take is you will eat into some of your budget if you go abroad--it won't be a housing allowance windfall. He claims its still enough to live comfortably...and mentioned a few HK neighborhoods he thought qualified. I'll reserve judgement--haven't been since 1976 so I'll defer to our MD-11 and Subic brethren.

BC says if you don't like it--don't bid it. But don't take $2700 from a guy who wants to go anyway.

But a guy that wanted to go anyway won’t get the $2700 if he actually wanted to “move” there.

The problem is you only get the $2700 if you take the “enhanced option”, where the F*** is the enhancement? This needs to be IN ADDITION to the FDA option in the contract, but as the LOA is written you take one or the other. Bottom line is you cannot move a family, or even a single household with the enhanced option. You get no car, no move to speak of (500 lbs=clothes & books or kitchen stuff).

I lived in France for 3 years with the military and I know what I’m talking about. Your seed money will be gone immediately with deposits and commissions on your housing. Then you need to buy all new appliances, and then you need to re-furnish your house or apartment. You will absolutely need a car if you live outside the city far enough to be affordable (in European terms, that is), and if you live in Paris and plan to use public transportation (which is excellent) housing will cost BIG bucks. And by the way...public transpo. doesn't go to the FedEx Hub.

On a purely monetary level (excluding problems w/SVT) this thing would be almost acceptable if they just added these bennies onto the contract FDA package, in other words, you get a household move, car and some help with housing. I just read the minority opinion and he has it mostly right, but since he’s mostly talking about HKG, he fails to mention the need for Cost of Living Allowance tied to the exchange rate. The dollar is at an all-time low against the Euro, and you would take an immediate 20% pay cut just with the exchange rate. On top of that, I can tell you that EVERYTHING is more expensive in Europe, to the tune of 10-20%, even more in the city of Paris.

Basically you are taking a buying power cut of 40%. There is no question that it will cost anyone, big-time out-of-pocket with the current offer.

This thing's a turd...flush it.

 

[ilandopr]

It was 20% Last Year!

I just read the minority opinion and he has it mostly right, but since he’s mostly talking about HKG, he fails to mention the need for Cost of Living Allowance tied to the exchange rate. The dollar is at an all-time low against the Euro, and you would take an immediate 20% pay cut just with the exchange rate. On top of that, I can tell you that EVERYTHING is more expensive in Europe, to the tune of 10-20%, even more in the city of Paris.

Just did a trip to FRA last month. Give "the man" a hundred bucks and get 71 Euros in return. That's 29%!
You would come out ahead by staying in the right seat of the MD-11.

 

[ilandopr]

Vote No!!!

Vote No!

 

[F18-FDX]

You would come out ahead by staying in the right seat of the MD-11.

Yes, I speak French but No, I'm not a moron. My standing bid is in, and it doesn't include the 757. But if this LOA passes it sets a really bad precedent...vote NO.

 

[ilandopr]

Vote No!!!

Yes, I speak French but No, I'm not a moron. My standing bid is in, and it doesn't include the 757. But if this LOA passes it sets a really bad precedent...vote NO.

NOTHING THAT I WROTE IMPLIED THAT I CALLED YOU A MORON. WOW! YOU ARE WOUND UP WAY TOO TIGHT.
THOUGHT WE WERE ON THE SAME SIDE.

 

[Gummo]

Just did a trip to FRA last month. Give "the man" a hundred bucks and get 71 Euros in return. That's 29%!
You would come out ahead by staying in the right seat of the MD-11.

I don't get this. I keep hearing this in discussions of the FDA and it doesn't make any sense (or cents). France is not expensive because the Euro exchanges at 71 cents to the USD. It's expensive, but that is not why. The Hong Kong dollar exchanges at 7.8 to the USD and that sure doesn't make Hong Kong cheap!

Exchange rates have no direct bearing on the cost of living normalized to the USD. Yes, Europe is expensive and has gotten more so for us as the dollar has slide in relation to the Euro. The change in the exchange rate over the past 4-5 years is indicative of the changing relative costs of many commodities and services, and any short term change is going to be directly felt as a change in dollar costs to visit Europe. But many things were more expensive in Europe than the US even when the Euro was below the USD, and you sure can't say that it is 29% more expensive now just based on the exchange rate.

France is expensive because of high taxes, anti-competitive regulations and business practices, inefficient infrastructure, and an inclination to socialist government policies. The exchange rate has gone in the crapper, because of high oil prices, our uncontrollable hunger for foreign goods, and emerging concerns by foreign (and domestic) investors that our economy is going into a long-term slide due to unrestrained gov't spending and our entanglement in an intractable conflict in the Middle East.

Thanks for listening - now vote NO.

 

[DLax85]

I don't get this. I keep hearing this in discussions of the FDA and it doesn't make any sense (or cents). France is not expensive because the Euro exchanges at 71 cents to the USD. It's expensive, but that is not why. The Hong Kong dollar exchanges at 7.8 to the USD and that sure doesn't make Hong Kong cheap!

Exchange rates have no direct bearing on the cost of living normalized to the USD. Yes, Europe is expensive and has gotten more so for us as the dollar has slide in relation to the Euro. The change in the exchange rate over the past 4-5 years is indicative of the changing relative costs of many commodities and services, and any short term change is going to be directly felt as a change in dollar costs to visit Europe. But many things were more expensive in Europe than the US even when the Euro was below the USD, and you sure can't say that it is 29% more expensive now just based on the exchange rate.

France is expensive because of high taxes, anti-competitive regulations and business practices, inefficient infrastructure, and an inclination to socialist government policies. The exchange rate has gone in the crapper, because of high oil prices, our uncontrollable hunger for foreign goods, and emerging concerns by foreign (and domestic) investors that our economy is going into a long-term slide due to unrestrained gov't spending and our entanglement in an intractable conflict in the Middle East.

Thanks for listening - now vote NO.

OK...let's keep it simple:

Relative Non-Housing Cost Indexes for the cities in question with Memphis indexed at 100 (...NYC added for reference).

Memphis = 100
New York = 140
Paris = 143
Hong Kong = 153

Of the top 15 most expensive cities in the world, Hong Kong is #5, Paris is #13 and NYC is #15.

Much needs to be fixed in the LOA .... vote "No"

 

[Ninerfan]

CDG Schedule

Just flew with one of the SIG fellas. His intial hack on the 757 CDG flying is that it will be very commuter unfriendly. Thus, the co. wanted to keep the 100nm rule intact. Another reason not to bid it.

Separately, I am voting no on the LOA.

 

[Diesel]

bump.....

 

[propjob27]

You are bumping the wrong thread:

This one needs to be read more:

http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=100955

Contains a great Box Stuffer too.

GET THE WORD OUT

 

[Scarabus]

I want to know who is getting paid to get fedex to mess with the expat tax exemption? It's sad the cathay and emirates is out doing the home team when it comes to this money issue for taxes, housing, and schools for your kids.

 

[Diesel]

Bump em' all I say.

For those that say "I'm too senior for it to affect me." Or, "If the MEC votes yes so do I."

Should practice those lines infront of the mirror so when you get informed that you're spending 3 months in HKG and costing your family money you can say it with a straight face to your spouse.

 

[El Pobre]

Just Voted NO.. I hope alot of others do to. I can't believe that our union says that this isn't concessionary. Any pilot going to Paris is taking a 35% paycut right off the bat.

No Cola...even the military isn't this bad. I hope this gets voted down by a significant margin and gets fixed now. Otherwise we'll have to fix it during our next contract negotiations at the expense of 1) QOL, 2) Pay, 3) Retirement, 4) Work Rules.....you pick which one you want to sacrifice to fix this substandard LOA in the future.