New CAL System Bid?????

[Ex737Driver]

Cal management has now moved further into the contract playbook with it's latest memo. According to the GUM CPO, there is now a good chance for a MAY system bid. While no information has been given, it would seem to follow right along with their previous attempts to lower the pilots groups expectations for contect 08. See thread

http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=110972

This latest memo was comes on the heels of the memo that VRF, voluntary reduced flying, would be available for all bases, all aircraft, and all seats for the MAY bid.

I fully expect the bid to have CAL parking multiple aircraft, the reduction of required captains in each base and aircraft, and the threat of furloughs. While the bid is nothing more than a page from the "gloom and doom" management handbook, I would expect that the possibility of future growth becoming "nil" for the foreseeable future (excluding intl). We continue to take new aircraft at the rate of 2-3 a month and will see an increase in the removal of older aircraft like the 737-500 and -300.

The BS is starting to flow like cheap wine............

 

[motch]

Maybe in the old days that playbook would have worked.
In the new modern world.. doesn't take alot to see that we are still slightly understaffed.. Have new aircraft arriving at a better pace than old aircraft are leaving and that with the latest news from the industry shows that while it is bad news that other airlines are reducing capactiy.. we can stay at status quo and weather out this storm.

 

[pkober]

This is when we need strong union leadership. They need to assure the pilots that this is just more scare tactics and to stand tough. We won't furlough and the union need to be proactive and fight back against these scare tactics.

 

[geshields]

Why is everyone in the mode that they think this will be a reduction bid?

 

[cal73cap]

Maybe some ex ATA b757-300s. Since we are one of the few airlines operating them. And pref-interviews for the ATA guys when we start hiring!

 

[ACL65PILOT]

NWA does too.

 

[motch]

The Union doesn't need to assure me, know why...

I am the union. My fellow pilots are the union.

Again, in the old days this type of intimadation may have worked.. not so much anymore!

And I'm glad to hear that we (CAL ALPA & MANAGEMENT) are extending the jumpseat to our fellow brothers and sisters during this time of uncertainty for them along with preferential interviewing once we start up again.

Always
Motch

PS> I agree.. why the though of down bids and reduction.. could be the other way or just that the bid is coming out a month early.. doesn't in usually come out in June?

PPS> And it's only a blurb from the CP of Guam... lets wait and see!

 

[imadumbpilot]

PPS> And it's only a blurb from the CP of Guam... lets wait and see!

It always seems to me that the most unreliable information comes from the CP's office.

 

[Ex737Driver]

Why is everyone in the mode that they think this will be a reduction bid?

Simply because mgmt has a playbook and they seem to be following it to the letter. I would expect nothing else from a mgmt team that got 52% of our pilots to vote for POS 02.

 

[whymeworry?]

Actually, our bids usually come out in August. Contracturally 2 per year spaced no more than 8 mos apart. So the Jan bid is usually followed by the Aug bid. May is quite early for a bid to be coming out. Then again, we did order a bunch of 777s that weren't on the last bid and Shanghai starts up next year. Those aircraft will have to be on this next bid or we simply won't have the staffing for these triples since the bids are effective one year out. I'm betting it's a flat bid. Parking some aircraft but getting enough to offset.