Some food for thought regarding Beener’s post….
Some food for thought regarding Beener’s post….
OK, I’ll bite. While this is a seasoned and thoughtful response, what is absolutely astounding to me is that after an entire week has gone by, it is a fellow pilot, not management, who has stepped in to give the company point of view, answer some questions and calm the storm. To date there has been NO RESPONSE from management despite several direct attempts from many pilots to get any information let alone specifics. We can post owner names, their holiday schedules other personal information on Bluebelly, but we can’t post accurate information that’s already part of the public domain?
While this part of my argument depends on your not being part of management, I think it’s only fair to state for the unknowing out there, that, you are a close as you can get to management without stepping over the line – as the CAB president you have access to info none of us will, you are a standards captain (a semi management position) and as an 8 year challenger captain you have a lot more to gain by the company keeping the status quo than not.
And I’m not trying to ruffle any of your feathers, I’m just trying to inform the uninformed, it is the talk of the line and on bluebelly, that a large portion of pilots (and fellow CAB members if I am not mistaken) are pretty unhappy with some of your work as president of the CAB and are actively seeking a change. Maybe you are on the pilots’ side, I’ll have to take your word on it, but that’s not the message I think most of us have.
I do really appreciate your response, but it angers me in a way because all just more smoke and mirrors and perpetuating the myths doesn’t help our position as a pilot group. Because it is so thoughtful, calm and reasoned, I am afraid that some poor schmo already at flex or about to sign on might take it as gospel truth when it isn’t. Heck, even I felt like I took a valium after reading it…
But I must trudge on, so let’s just get a reminder of the facts:
1.) Pre-announcement, in terms of hard year end salaries, we were the worst paid fractional (of the big 4). We also worked 40 more days than everyone else. Post announcement we are the 3rd worst, but only because FLOPS is trying to punish their guys for a union drive. All this despite being continually promised we would always be compensated above and beyond NJA.
2.) What pilots said was we wanted LESS days guaranteed. This was as important to a 1 year guy as to a 10 year guy. We didn’t say we wanted OT pay disguised as salary. We wanted to work the industry standard of 184. While I appreciate the “options” to a point, it’s not really an option for at least 50% of the workgroup is it? And since we can’t hire to even keep up with current attrition, I doubt it will really be an option for the top 50% either. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
3.) OK, I got the whole 214.5 being an average anyway. It was just fun to point out they can’t speak in real numbers that mean anything to someone who’s not a bean counter. So the average crewmember got paid for 16.5 days. Let’s put it into perspective. We have 2 training events per year and a phantom 17 day guarantee. I say phantom because we only get paid for 16 during training months because it is in most cases impossible to schedule a 17 day line within the rules. So as a post 9-11 cost cutting excuses, they involuntarily cut our pay by a day twice a year, even though it their problem and had always just gave us the extra day before. Do the math (11 periods at 17 and 2 periods at 16) and that’s where you get your 16.5. To make it sounds as though some guys are already getting lower schedules is false advertising. By the way this is all averages, so it would take just a handful of guys working 14 or 15 days lines to drop the average down significantly. So, given this information and simple math, that means practically no one in the company is working less than 17 days in any given month based on COMPANY provided averages I know of very senior guys who constantly ask for 15 and 16 day lines and NEVER get them.
4.) PBS – when the MOST senior guy in a group asks for 1 specific day off and is willing to do anything for the company to get that day by dropping all the re4 after 6 etc. requirements and can’t get it there is a huge problem. Nothing in this company is based on seniority unless it’s the seniority of a$$ kissing that we’re talking about. There are hundreds of more stories like this guys.
5.) Benefits. By far the worst package in the industry. All this to the detriment of the families they claim to care so much about. Despite all the grumbling (and there was lots) this issue was not even touched. Enough said.
6.) OK, after 5 YEARS we finally got a raise in per diem. I’ll bet you my $6 we will be seeing changes in the crew meal program in the near future making this an overall loss for us not a raise in per diem.
7.) Holiday pay. Dude if it is only 7 days per year why not reward the people who are away from their families on those days? I would gladly give up the extra $100 a year I will see from this “grouping of resources” (I made up this number but bet I am not far off) to the guy who is willing to work it or is forced to. Since management gets to spend most of their holidays at home (or at the very least part of it) I don’t think they see the impact of this one. I know of an 8 year captain, with young kids no less, who has spent EVERY Christmas in a hotel. When management starts volunteering to work the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas in particular) out on the line for guys like this, I’ll shut-up. Until then they should pay up.
8.) Lack of transparency in the numbers. You are drinking some fine blue kool aid if you really believe the money isn’t there. Let’s be honest about how much extra ka-ching Bombardier gets from having us, let’s start accounting for those profits in these meetings that explain to us why the money isn’t there and let’s see where we get….
I could go on an on – maybe I will point out more in other posts, but the bottom line is this. You said we all have choices – how right you are. MY CHOICE WILL BE TO VOTE YES FOR A UNION and not leave with my tail between my legs cuz you tell me in a nice cozy way that’s the solution for my problem. And hey if you’re right in every thing you say, a mediator will stick to the company’s side during the bargaining process and I’ll be happy with that knowing it’s the only way to keep the company solvent. We’ll see. Once again, MY CHOICE WILL BE TO VOTE YES FOR A UNION. Hope yours is too.
