The actual ASA PBS LOA is out.

[OCP]

Now what do you think?

 

[Cpt Oveur]

Read over the entire document and write some questions down. This is something every ASA pilot should read in its entirety before casting a vote. I suspect they're going to be short on paper in the crew lounge from the pilots who print this off there...

 

[Poppa Hodax]

The Good, The Bad, The Unaddressed

I have read through the LOA a couple of times. I am not a lawyer, nor do I have experience in negotiating airline labor contracts. These are just the things that I noticed upon my initial review.

The Good

• Minimum day value increased to 3.86
• No fly list
• Trips will be front loaded
• Future open time swaps are instant
• Ability to drop/pick up portions of a trip
• Ready reserve trips outside the ready reserve period must depart within an hour
• Reserve pilots don't have to accept a trip that results in being away from domicile for more than four days, unless being released would cause a trip cancellation or a line holder being junior assigned.
• 401k plan will be able to deal in publicly traded stocks

The Bad

• No pay increase. I must be missing something here, but the pay rates for 11/20/10 listed in the PBS LOA are exactly the same as the pay rates for 11/20/10 listed in the current contract. As I read this, accepting PBS will result in pay rates that the pilot group has already negotiated in the existing contract, and no pay increase.
• Negotiation is delayed for a year.
• Furloughs are terminated after they have been on furlough for five years.
• No language to prevent or minimize the assignment of trips on either side of vacation. This, in effect, prevents turning one week of vacation into three, or at least dropping conflicting trips.
• Ready Reserve can start at 0400. Considering that the latest bus to ensure a timely reporting for duty leaves at 0320, 0400 Ready Reserves work for free for a while in order to be on time.
• The company "will consider" quality of life issues when constructing trips. There is no language that binds them to anything other than considering QOL issues.
• The Company will, to the extent "reasonably practical", construct trips in accordance with some listed parameters. This language isn't specific, and provides nothing for Union approval of what is reasonably practical.
• Trips will be constructed to maintain a mix of trips, with no language provided with regard to the mix other than no more than 60% will be four days.
• The Company can award a pilot a reserve line (even if they can hold a regular line) despite open time remaining, if they deem a need for additional reserve staffing. The LOA contains neither language on what constitutes a valid need for additional reserve staffing, nor Union approval/validation of this need for reserve staffing.
• No fly list is only for First Officers. Captains, if you don't like a particular FO, you have no ability to avoid flying with that FO.
• Pilots are specifically forbidden from swapping, dropping, or trading a trip if it will take the pilot below 45 hours for the month.
• There will be at least one reserve line for every eight regular lines. This is a minimum. There is no language with regard to a maximum number of reserve lines. By the language in the LOA, the Company could build 8 regular lines and the rest reserve lines, and that bid package would be legal.
• The Company specifically reserves the right to assign training to reset a due month. Thus, the Company can arbitrarily assign a pilot a PC every month, obstensibly to reset the due month.
• The Company can assign a Reserve Line to a pilot upon completion of training. The LOA mentions trying to build a regular line, but the Company can assign a Reserve Line.
• Twelve pilots get a paid month off to teach the pilots how to use PBS.

The Unaddressed

• No holiday pay
• No address of the assignment of back to back Ready Reserve assignments
• No address of the assignment of trips to Reserves on the the opposite of the assigned reserve period. Scheduling has the ability to call an early period Reserve, put them at rest all day, then fly them all night. Not smart, not safe, but still legal under the current contract and the PBS LOA. Scheduling knows it, and practices this technique.
• No address of the assigning a Ready Reserve assignment without a demonstrable need (IROP, weather, etc). They can still assign a pilot ready reserve with ample short call reserves just because they can.
• No quantification of Ready Reserve duties. What, exactly, are Ready Reserves supposed to do while at the airport? Cover trips? Taxi airplanes?
• No language detailing what constitutes IROP.
• No address of Reserves being able to bid on trips within a specified time of the trip commencing. Allowing Reserves to bid on trips would, in essence, augment the Call Me First system in place, and allow (in seniority order) pilots who want to fly to fly.

 

[ASABound]

Poppa Hodax, EXCELLENT POINTS !!!

 

[No Delay]

Poppa - Very good points

 

[Data]

Wow, I'm for most of it... up until the four am ready reserve. Unfortunately, as a reserve for life guy, this will have the largest impact on my quality of life (think 6 times a month). I'm sorry, I can't get up at 2:15am to catch a 3:20am bus, I'll never recover and get my circadian rhythm back in line. This just turned me into a no vote, and I've been for it all along.

 

[SiuDude]

The Bad

• No pay increase. I must be missing something here, but the pay rates for 11/20/10 listed in the PBS LOA are exactly the same as the pay rates for 11/20/10 listed in the current contract. As I read this, accepting PBS will result in pay rates that the pilot group has already negotiated in the existing contract, and no pay increase.
• Negotiation is delayed for a year.

There is a new pay increase on 11/20/11, the day the contract will expire if this gets voted in.

 

[BWatz]

Reserve guys:

What do you think about bidding on reserve lines with the call times already assigned? I am not sure I like that. What if I want 1900 reserve with weekends off? Couldn't the company make those lines with only 0400 or 0600 reserve? This concerns me and I don't think its an improvement. If I am "senior" enough to hold a certain reserve line I should also be able to bid for my call time.

Any thoughts?

 

[sweptback]

Wow, I'm for most of it... up until the four am ready reserve. Unfortunately, as a reserve for life guy, this will have the largest impact on my quality of life (think 6 times a month). I'm sorry, I can't get up at 2:15am to catch a 3:20am bus, I'll never recover and get my circadian rhythm back in line. This just turned me into a no vote, and I've been for it all along.

The company already can assign ready reserve at 0400. They could assign it at whatever time they want right now -- there are no limits whatsoever.

They don't do this, because our earliest duty in is at 0600 or something. Why on earth would you want somebody on call at the airport at 0400 when the first flight doesn't leave for another two and a half hours?

All that section means is that if ready reserve is assigned to a pilot starting within the range of 0400-1200, it must go to an AM on-call period reserve. Therefore, it would be mostly impossible for a nap reserve to get the 0600 ready reserve slot.

 

[Data]

The company already can assign ready reserve at 0400. They could assign it at whatever time they want right now -- there are no limits whatsoever.

They don't do this, because our earliest duty in is at 0600 or something. Why on earth would you want somebody on call at the airport at 0400 when the first flight doesn't leave for another two and a half hours?

All that section means is that if ready reserve is assigned to a pilot starting within the range of 0400-1200, it must go to an AM on-call period reserve. Therefore, it would be mostly impossible for a nap reserve to get the 0600 ready reserve slot.

Thanks, that helps. I guess I should read it before making asinine statements.