Fr8doggie

From ALPA Email tonight:

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation this evening that would raise the pilot mandatory retirement age to 65 by a unanimous vote of 390-0. The measure, introduced by House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.), is identical to the language already included in the House and Senate Transportation Appropriations conference report, which is now ensnared in the larger, unrelated fight over completing this year’s spending bills.
“I salute Chairman Oberstar and his colleagues for this bold step,” said Capt. John Prater, ALPA’s president. “The legislation passed by the House of Representatives is consistent with ALPA’s Executive Board resolution that is designed to protect the interests of airline pilots and this Association.”
Instrumental in achieving passage of the legislation were House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) and committee members Rep. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.) and Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.).
The Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act, H.R.4343, was introduced this morning and placed on the House suspension calendar, which is a special procedure used to speed up action by setting aside the regular rules of order and requiring a two-thirds majority vote for passage of legislation.
In addition to allowing Part 121 airline pilots to fly up to age 65, H.R.4343 will clarify non-retroactivity, provide sufficient liability protection for unions, prohibit unilateral changes to labor agreements and benefit plans, eliminate the over/under split for domestic operations, and make the rule change effective as of the date the legislation is enacted.
The Senate will now have to decide whether to bring the measure up under their own procedural motion, known as unanimous consent, in which a legislative matter is considered agreed to if no Senator on the floor objects. The Senate has already once before unanimously approved the language of H.R.4343 in the form of the Stevens amendment during debate of the Transportation Appropriations bill on September 11.

dunlaf05

Here we go......

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"The Only Thing Constant In This Industry Is Change."

NoJoy

Why ALPA is for this is beyond me. Most pilots who took ALPA's survey about this rule change were against it:confused. Now when is the Senate going to vote on this?

Slice

Prater: Taking back what's 'his'.

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Will fly for...$

NJGov

An excerpt from the Bill HR 4343:

1 ‘‘(e) APPLICABILITY.—
2 ‘‘(1) NONRETROACTIVITY.—No person who has
3 attained 60 years of age before the date of enact
4 ment of this section may serve as a pilot for an air
5 carrier engaged in covered operations unless—

‘‘(B) such person is newly hired by an air
11 carrier as a pilot on or after such date of enact
12 ment without credit for prior seniority or prior
13 longevity for benefits or other terms related to
14 length of service prior to the date of rehire
15 under any labor agreement or employment poli
16 cies of the air carrier.

Why include this type of language? ...To discourage anyone over age sixty to returning to the air carrier? Seems like that does more harm than good.

Also, could each company still impose an age 60 limit on their flight crews?

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I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.

BoilerWings

I would doubt it. If age 65 becomes the new law...wouldn't an airline's action to force retirement at age 60 be considered discrimination?

BoilerWings

I hope this isn't too ignorant of a question, but education is good. What are the MAJOR implications of the passing of the 60/65 rule? Two of my best mentors (one a 777 CA for United, the other UPS 747 CA) are in favor of the change because it allows them to fly an additional 5 years. my UA friend is especially interested b/c he lost retirement benefits.

The younger guys (like myself) seem to polarize on the side of 60/65 NOT passing b/c attrition rates will be lower, making upgrade times longer. Us younger folks have the benefit of learning from the older generation in that we know not to count on any pension benefits from the airlines. some of the UA captains had a healthy retirement package arranged before 9/11 (I realize this is industry wide).

I don't want to make the audacious statement that "this does not affect me because I'm only 24, but to what extent does this change affect the industry as a whole? And what adjustments or questions should I (and all pilots) be considering in light of this change?

CVG767A

We already lose a lot of guys prior to age 60, due to medical reasons. That number will increase geometrically with the age 65 rule.

Not all of the guys able and willing to stay the extra years will be needing a full paycheck. I expect to see most of these guys flying a reduced schedule; enough to get health insurance, or to keep from drawing down the 401k, or simply to get out of the house once or twice a month.

The guys that need to stay for the money are mostly those who are retiring soon-i.e. they haven't have many years to compensate for the loss of the DB pension.

Bottom line- It will affect progression, significantly at first but ultimately not as much as is feared.

Airbum

I would expect a delay in being hired at a major airline. I would expect airline contracts in the future to consider age 60 to be early retirement for pension benefits. I would expect an increase in LTD insurance as the cost to insure a older pilot group increase. Possibly a more stringent medical exam throughout your career.

Superpilot92

If you stop for a second and realize that the 2 people you speak of are at the top (777CA 747CA) These guys want to sit at the top and soak it up while you and the rest of us trying to get to that point ASAP have to NOW potentially wait 5 additional years. Every person that stays past 60 will be in a spot that one of us could be in making our QOL and Pay that much better. The guys at the top reaped the rewards of the age 60 rule throughout their entire career allowing them to move up at a set value. This is the all about ME generation that developed the B scale sticking it to the younger guys Yet again. Rant over!!!!!

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NWA