I'll try...
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Originally Posted by PBSG
Fair enough. I'm an EWR XJT CA and here are my concerns (And please, separate truth from rumor. I'm not on the Anti-PBS wagon. I would love to have an adult discussion on it and would like to learn more on the subject):
1) My schedule won't come out until the 25th or so of the month. Right now I bid for a line in which I know exactly when I will be working and I get it around the 7th or 8th. I can improve it on the Initial Line Improvement Window, but that is always a crapshoot, as I have to be on the computer and hit it exactly 10:00:00. If I try to trade at 10:00:05 it wont work. This for me is the most important, as my wife works full time and we have to set up day care/her meetings/ her telework days around my schedule. The second week of the month is tight, the last week of the month is un-doable
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Line holders get their schedule on the 20th. Reserves on the 26(?) I totally agree that this is too late in the month.
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Originally Posted by PBSG
2) Make everyone relief line holders. Instead of bidding for your schedule you just bid for the days/time you want to work. Our lines at XJT have everything in them, from 25 hour 4 days, to 30 hour overnights to watch football......Thick,thin, commutable, uncommutable, overnights at home, girlfriend in RDU.......you bid in seniority order and you get it. Take this month of December - I have a four day over Christmas with back to back to back overnights at home. Could I bid for overnights at home WITHOUT blowing up my whole month? Could you get the over nights at home?
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We have mostly 4 days, because there are a lot of commuters... but the poor pairings has to do with pairing creation, NOT PBS. People are getting that confused. Lately at ASA we have been having utterly uncommutable lines... that is not the fault of pbs.
Sure you can tag trips one by one to add to your prefs... But if that trip filled someone seniors preferences then it could go to them. No surprises there.
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Originally Posted by PBSG
3) Vacation. We have a great vacation system. Drop any trip over the week you have vacation and depending on where you sit you could get 16-20 days in a row off with one week of vacation. We have fought hard to keep this (I remember a union guy saying if management had ONE thing to take from our contract it would be the vacation clause) and I'll be damned if its gonna get marginalized because of a new bidding system.
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I feel that our vacation system is very comparable. I had 4 days of vacation in August. Was awarded 2 - 4 day trips. 23 days off during one of the highest line value months. And with the transition weeks you can turn one week of vacation into TWO months on vacation low.
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Originally Posted by PBSG
4) Honoring seniority. Is this software going to honor seniority or honor the person who knows how to manipulate the system the best? I stand about mid pack in EWR and I do not want to get cheated out of a better line, nor do I think its fair for me to get a better line because I know 'the system' better than someone else. Yeah....dog eat dog world, but don't set up a system where the computer geniuses get a better line because they knew to 'award" instead of 'avoid'.
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There isn't much manipulation going on. Put in what you want instead of what you don't want has worked for me. As in start trips on mondays or start on the 1,8,15 etc rather than XXX off. I'm not going to lie, there are some nuisances about the system, but those can all be learned looking through the tutorial or talking to a trainer. It's a new system, there are going to be tricks and shortcuts, like there is with anything.
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Originally Posted by PBSG
5) Our IT department. Seriously, it sucks. Drop some coin in a new upgraded HARDWARE before running PBS SOFTWARE and it will be a different story.
Also
6) Grab some XJT Alum from CAL, DAL or wherever and have them conference on the ups and downs of PBS. I hear DAL guys like it....specifically WHAT do you like and what would you change? CAL guys say it sucks? Specifically, WHAT sucks?
Honestly, I'm not Anti-PBS, but if I have the choice between the known and the unknown....I'll take what I know.
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The only thing that I could say sucks is the really junior person getting a line because of pre-assigned credit, like was mentioned earlier. Hasn't happened to me but I could see that sucking. I have seen another companies PBS first hand... seen line bidding first hand... And I will choose this current PBS eight days a week.
The thing that sucks is our RESERVE... The windows, the RR, the sheer amount of abuse still gives me nightmares and I haven't been on reserve in 8 months.