FedEx purple nuggets and disputed pairings

[active_herk]

First off, I’d like to say welcome and congrats to our newest crop of Purple Nuggets, glad to have you here at FedEx, as you are about to join the line!

Now that that is out there, I’d like to preface the rest of this post in saying that nothing I am about to write should be construed as anything more than information. Believe me, I have debated even posting this message; not because I don’t think the content is important, but rather I found it may be hard to put the information to words without sounding condescending, or worse like a jerk.

With that being said, I’d like to take up the topic of disputed pairings. While this may be like rehashing old information to many of you, it is important regardless. For the purple nuggets who have been frequenting this board for some time, you may already be familiar with the FedEx concept of disputed pairings. If so, I’m glad to hear it. For those of you who aren’t, basically, a disputed pairing is a trip which the union feels is either unsafe to fly, or goes against the intent of the contract as written. When the union disputes a pairing, it is a VERY CLEAR indication to the crew force that that particular pairing should NOT be flown in any status other than on reserve. To fly it otherwise, undermines what the union is trying to accomplish in making sure the pairings we are flying are safe and meet the intent of our contract. In a way, when you fly these pairings in a status other than reserve, it is a poke in the eye of our union, and as you can imagine, it is not looked upon favorably by its membership.

So what is my point? As an Anchorage crewmember for more than a few years now, I have seen many disputed pairings get directed at our domicile. For the most part, I think the crewmembers are doing a good job at being knowledgeable about which pairings are disputed, and doing a great job of not flying those pairings. In the near term, however, I have noticed a disturbing trend of some of our younger first officers picking up disputed pairings either on secondary lines, or when they are listed in make up. As someone who likes to give people the benefit of the doubt, I like to assume that when that happens it is more out of ignorance by the individual rather than an intentional snub of the union.

The unfortunate thing for many of these “newbies” is that one of their very first pairings “out of the shoot” is a disputed pairing, and for that, they are receiving the wrath of some of the members of our union. Please bear in mind that even if you keep your calendar closed, you cannot hide the fact that you are flying a disputed pairing in a status other than reserve. Now, considering that you (as a purple nugget) are on probation and getting Captain’s reports filled out on you every month, I wouldn’t think it wise to fly a disputed pairing with a Captain who is filling out a report on you as an at-will employee.

Now, before you all say, “this guy is a captain and a jerk at that” please note that I am not a captain, and neither have I approached any captain and given my thoughts regarding “slamming” new first officers on their probation reports. Instead, I glean this information from my own personal observations on what most of the captains (and other first officers) up in Anchorage feel. I have already heard more than one story from a new guy who made the mistake of picking up a disputed pairing only to be “reminded” of that fact from numerous other pilots in Anchorage.

So why do I spend time writing this rather long email to let you know? Because I want you to avoid the same mistakes that some of your more senior contemporaries have made. If you talk with them, I’m sure they will tell you they wish they would rather not have picked up the disputed pairing, even if at the time it made their life a little easier in the short term.

So how can you avoid disputed pairings? That’s the easy part. Every month the union puts out an email to all the union members with a list of all the disputed pairings at every base. In addition, in Anchorage, our very own block rep also sends an email to all the members reminding them each month which pairings are disputed. If you aren’t on either one of these lists, email the union, and /or the block rep, and they will make sure you get on the list. If you don’t know who the block rep is up in ANC, drop me a PM, and I’ll get his email address to you. Also, help out your buds in your class who aren’t on flightinfo.com, and pass this info to them. Write these pairings down, and check them every time you go to make requests for your secondary lines, and/or before you pick up or trade into something in open time. You’ll be glad you did. (Side note: the only way you can have a disputed pairing placed on your secondary line is if you ask for it specifically by pairing number when making your request. If you don’t do that, but end up with a disputed pairing on your line, get the union involved immediately as you have a justifiable grievance on your hand)

Thanks for making it through this letter. Again, I welcome you up to ANC and look forward to seeing you in the system. Good luck in IOE!

 

[Purpled]

Don't forget to be on the lookout for those 'xtra' pairings that look a lot like disputed pairings from other domiciles.

A favorite trick of scheduling is to break up the disputed pairing and add dead-heads to them, then throw them to another domicile and see who bites.

 

[Gorilla]

Why is it OK for reserves to fly these doggy trips? Just becasue they "have to?" Have them call in sick.

Not trying to be critical, just trying to understand.

 

[Echopapa]

Why is it OK for reserves to fly these doggy trips? Just becasue they "have to?" Have them call in sick.

Not trying to be critical, just trying to understand.

If you call in sick after you are assigned a trip on reseve it automatically generates a discrepency report to your chief pilot. I don't recommend that action by any pilot who is not genuinely unfit to fly due to illness.

 

[active_herk]

Echopapa is correct. The union basically is ok with someone flying this trip on reserve because they have no choice in the matter at that point. They do request, however, that if you are assigned this trip on reserve status that you fill out a sleep log for the trip to be used for statistical analysis. Also, if you are on the trip and feel as if you are not adequately rested or prepared for a leg, they recommend you call in fatigued for the leg in question, as it is the safest course of action.

 

[HalinTexas]

If a trip is unsafe on a standard line, how does it become safe to a reserve line holder?

It's either safe or it isn't.

 

[active_herk]

If a trip is not deemed to be up to standard, or disputable, then it is not placed on a standard line. It is left in open time. The problem lies in that while the union feels it is unsafe, the company feels there is nothing wrong with the pairing. I'm sure if the company felt the pairing wasn't safe, we wouldn't see it at all (ha ha). Basically, our only recourse as a union is to dispute the pairing. In so doing, it cannot be built into a line.

Now, why do we let the reserves fly it? Basically, we want the membership to validate what we have found. If for instance, the union disputes the pairing, but guys and gals are picking it up in open time, they are telling the company that they don't think anything is wrong with the pairing, and eventually the union is no longer able to dispute it. The pairing becomes a "normal" pairing that can be built into lines and given to secondary line holders. On the other hand, if a pairing is continually avoided and being flown only by reserve pilots, the company must eventually admit that the union has a point and will rework the pairing to make it non-disputable. So what we have in essence is a difference of opinion -- the union feels the pairing isn't up to snuff and the company disagrees. Does this make the matter any clearer?? Probably not.

 

[Phaedrus]

EchoPapa: Hope to see you MEM real soon. I start training on 14 Aug.
ActiveHerk: Thanks for bringing up some important information. I, for one, am glad I have some heads up on this.

 

[FoxHunter]

First off, I’d like to say welcome and congrats to our newest crop of Purple Nuggets, glad to have you here at FedEx, as you are about to join the line!

Now that that is out there, I’d like to preface the rest of this post in saying that nothing I am about to write should be construed as anything more than information. Believe me, I have debated even posting this message; not because I don’t think the content is important, but rather I found it may be hard to put the information to words without sounding condescending, or worse like a jerk.

With that being said, I’d like to take up the topic of disputed pairings. While this may be like rehashing old information to many of you, it is important regardless. For the purple nuggets who have been frequenting this board for some time, you may already be familiar with the FedEx concept of disputed pairings. If so, I’m glad to hear it. For those of you who aren’t, basically, a disputed pairing is a trip which the union feels is either unsafe to fly, or goes against the intent of the contract as written. When the union disputes a pairing, it is a VERY CLEAR indication to the crew force that that particular pairing should NOT be flown in any status other than on reserve. To fly it otherwise, undermines what the union is trying to accomplish in making sure the pairings we are flying are safe and meet the intent of our contract. In a way, when you fly these pairings in a status other than reserve, it is a poke in the eye of our union, and as you can imagine, it is not looked upon favorably by its membership.

So what is my point? As an Anchorage crewmember for more than a few years now, I have seen many disputed pairings get directed at our domicile. For the most part, I think the crewmembers are doing a good job at being knowledgeable about which pairings are disputed, and doing a great job of not flying those pairings. In the near term, however, I have noticed a disturbing trend of some of our younger first officers picking up disputed pairings either on secondary lines, or when they are listed in make up. As someone who likes to give people the benefit of the doubt, I like to assume that when that happens it is more out of ignorance by the individual rather than an intentional snub of the union.

The unfortunate thing for many of these “newbies” is that one of their very first pairings “out of the shoot” is a disputed pairing, and for that, they are receiving the wrath of some of the members of our union. Please bear in mind that even if you keep your calendar closed, you cannot hide the fact that you are flying a disputed pairing in a status other than reserve. Now, considering that you (as a purple nugget) are on probation and getting Captain’s reports filled out on you every month, I wouldn’t think it wise to fly a disputed pairing with a Captain who is filling out a report on you as an at-will employee.

Now, before you all say, “this guy is a captain and a jerk at that” please note that I am not a captain, and neither have I approached any captain and given my thoughts regarding “slamming” new first officers on their probation reports. Instead, I glean this information from my own personal observations on what most of the captains (and other first officers) up in Anchorage feel. I have already heard more than one story from a new guy who made the mistake of picking up a disputed pairing only to be “reminded” of that fact from numerous other pilots in Anchorage.

So why do I spend time writing this rather long email to let you know? Because I want you to avoid the same mistakes that some of your more senior contemporaries have made. If you talk with them, I’m sure they will tell you they wish they would rather not have picked up the disputed pairing, even if at the time it made their life a little easier in the short term.

So how can you avoid disputed pairings? That’s the easy part. Every month the union puts out an email to all the union members with a list of all the disputed pairings at every base. In addition, in Anchorage, our very own block rep also sends an email to all the members reminding them each month which pairings are disputed. If you aren’t on either one of these lists, email the union, and /or the block rep, and they will make sure you get on the list. If you don’t know who the block rep is up in ANC, drop me a PM, and I’ll get his email address to you. Also, help out your buds in your class who aren’t on flightinfo.com, and pass this info to them. Write these pairings down, and check them every time you go to make requests for your secondary lines, and/or before you pick up or trade into something in open time. You’ll be glad you did. (Side note: the only way you can have a disputed pairing placed on your secondary line is if you ask for it specifically by pairing number when making your request. If you don’t do that, but end up with a disputed pairing on your line, get the union involved immediately as you have a justifiable grievance on your hand)

Thanks for making it through this letter. Again, I welcome you up to ANC and look forward to seeing you in the system. Good luck in IOE!

If your a new guy/gal on probation I woud suggest you smile, fly trips as assigned. The union can offer you no protection on probation. Once off probation you can be the biggest a$$ you want and count on union protection even if you think you should burn the place down. Don't worry about the disputed pairings, that is a job of union members.

 

[FoxHunter]

First off, I’d like to say welcome and congrats to our newest crop of Purple Nuggets, glad to have you here at FedEx, as you are about to join the line!

Now that that is out there, I’d like to preface the rest of this post in saying that nothing I am about to write should be construed as anything more than information. Believe me, I have debated even posting this message; not because I don’t think the content is important, but rather I found it may be hard to put the information to words without sounding condescending, or worse like a jerk.

With that being said, I’d like to take up the topic of disputed pairings. While this may be like rehashing old information to many of you, it is important regardless. For the purple nuggets who have been frequenting this board for some time, you may already be familiar with the FedEx concept of disputed pairings. If so, I’m glad to hear it. For those of you who aren’t, basically, a disputed pairing is a trip which the union feels is either unsafe to fly, or goes against the intent of the contract as written. When the union disputes a pairing, it is a VERY CLEAR indication to the crew force that that particular pairing should NOT be flown in any status other than on reserve. To fly it otherwise, undermines what the union is trying to accomplish in making sure the pairings we are flying are safe and meet the intent of our contract. In a way, when you fly these pairings in a status other than reserve, it is a poke in the eye of our union, and as you can imagine, it is not looked upon favorably by its membership.

So what is my point? As an Anchorage crewmember for more than a few years now, I have seen many disputed pairings get directed at our domicile. For the most part, I think the crewmembers are doing a good job at being knowledgeable about which pairings are disputed, and doing a great job of not flying those pairings. In the near term, however, I have noticed a disturbing trend of some of our younger first officers picking up disputed pairings either on secondary lines, or when they are listed in make up. As someone who likes to give people the benefit of the doubt, I like to assume that when that happens it is more out of ignorance by the individual rather than an intentional snub of the union.

The unfortunate thing for many of these “newbies” is that one of their very first pairings “out of the shoot” is a disputed pairing, and for that, they are receiving the wrath of some of the members of our union. Please bear in mind that even if you keep your calendar closed, you cannot hide the fact that you are flying a disputed pairing in a status other than reserve. Now, considering that you (as a purple nugget) are on probation and getting Captain’s reports filled out on you every month, I wouldn’t think it wise to fly a disputed pairing with a Captain who is filling out a report on you as an at-will employee.

Now, before you all say, “this guy is a captain and a jerk at that” please note that I am not a captain, and neither have I approached any captain and given my thoughts regarding “slamming” new first officers on their probation reports. Instead, I glean this information from my own personal observations on what most of the captains (and other first officers) up in Anchorage feel. I have already heard more than one story from a new guy who made the mistake of picking up a disputed pairing only to be “reminded” of that fact from numerous other pilots in Anchorage.

So why do I spend time writing this rather long email to let you know? Because I want you to avoid the same mistakes that some of your more senior contemporaries have made. If you talk with them, I’m sure they will tell you they wish they would rather not have picked up the disputed pairing, even if at the time it made their life a little easier in the short term.

So how can you avoid disputed pairings? That’s the easy part. Every month the union puts out an email to all the union members with a list of all the disputed pairings at every base. In addition, in Anchorage, our very own block rep also sends an email to all the members reminding them each month which pairings are disputed. If you aren’t on either one of these lists, email the union, and /or the block rep, and they will make sure you get on the list. If you don’t know who the block rep is up in ANC, drop me a PM, and I’ll get his email address to you. Also, help out your buds in your class who aren’t on flightinfo.com, and pass this info to them. Write these pairings down, and check them every time you go to make requests for your secondary lines, and/or before you pick up or trade into something in open time. You’ll be glad you did. (Side note: the only way you can have a disputed pairing placed on your secondary line is if you ask for it specifically by pairing number when making your request. If you don’t do that, but end up with a disputed pairing on your line, get the union involved immediately as you have a justifiable grievance on your hand)

Thanks for making it through this letter. Again, I welcome you up to ANC and look forward to seeing you in the system. Good luck in IOE!

If your a new guy/gal on probation I woud suggest you smile, fly trips as assigned. The union can offer you no protection on probation. Once off probation you can be the biggest a$$ you want and count on union protection even if you think you should burn the place down. Don't worry about the disputed pairings, that is a job of union members.