TonyC

Today a pilot is not required to give any notice at all to retire. If he's willing to live with a gap between his last active pilot paycheck and his first retirement paycheck, he can walk away today. Notice is required if he wants to make it a seamless transition.

What you propose is in essence giving up that right, or imposing a penalty for exercising that right. In other words, it's a concession. Bad headwork.

Sure, The Company would like advance notice of retirements. We might be able to invent a scheme to provide that notice, but giving the notice should be rewarded in some way. Perhaps one way of rewarding the pilot who provides advance notice of his retirement would be to give him credit for the hours in his sick bank which he cannot use or redeem. The more notice provided, the higher the amount of sick bank credit.

If not sick bank, then something else. But whatever it is, it should be equitable to both parties. Company wants prior notice? Fine. What are they willing to pay for that notice?



Wait, I thought you wanted them to retire at 60. Now you want to impose a penalty for retiring? That doesn't make sense.

Personally, I want every pilot to maintain the right to hang up their hat any day they choose. You may be surprised how quickly a §4.A.2.b. "problem" can be solved.


Not pointing a finger at you, but that's a common complaint among guys and gals who are too busy raising their young families to volunteer in the organization. Last I checked, votes are not weighted by tenure. The guy off probation gets the same vote as the guy a month, or even a day away from retirement.



Normal Retirement Age in our CBA is 60. In order to change that, our company will have to enter bankruptcy and use the courts to render our CBA worthless, or we will have to ratify a new CBA which changes our Normal Retirement Age. 50% + 1 comes to about 2,100 pilots or so (if everyone voted) to vote in favor of raising the Normal Retirement Age. I haven't found a single one yet. I wouldn't worry about the Normal Retirement Age changing until you find a lot of pilots who want to change it.


I know we'll get to vote on it. See above.


What makes you so sure they'll push for 65? Senior pilots are expensive (highest pay rate) and unproductive (lots of Vacation, sick, disability, etc.). It's not a forgone conclusion that The Company wouldn't prefer to put them out to pasture and hire new guys at the lowest pay rates, lowest rates of sick call, and smallest vacation banks.

Maybe they want 65, or maybe they want 60. I don't see any reason why we should be making their arguments for them, and I absolutely cannot see a reason why we should support imposing a penalty on a pilot for exercising a right he has under the CBA today.



Good luck. Might I suggest you get a PC?






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