Originally Posted by
2cylinderdriver
It is not a junior vs. senior, the 25K was aged based as we have lots of "junior" older pilots. If you are talking about paying for the 25K now, that is not true. We pay for the post medicare VEBA which is something we will all be eligible for. We did pay for the funding of the initial money to set up those accounts by giving up part of the pie in the 2006 CBA to get it, totally agree!
We should have never agreed to a short term fix for just part of the seniority list with respect to the cost of retiree health care. Those of us who do not have the 25K will need a long term fix that covers everyone going forward. That will have to be addressed in the next CBA otherwise no one will retire before 65.
We all lost 5 years of normal progression, hopefully we are headed back into a normal retirement pattern again. Hang in there!
You're absolutely right, we have over-60 pilots in every seniority block.
There are pros and cons to short-term fixes. In 2006, there was no Affordable Healthcare Act. Today's solution to the retirement impediment may look far different. On the other hand, although there was a commitment by the parties in 2006 to address the next wave in the next contract, the parties have now changed, along with their visions of how the problems should be addressed. I've actually heard reasoning to oppose a similar VEBA that argues that most people who reach age 60 either have 25 years of service, so they can afford their own pre-Medicare health care premiums, or they are military retirees, so they have TriCare. While it's true that those two circumstances cover a lot of pilots, it also leaves many behind - myself included.
Whether the solution is short-term or long-term, it was not addressed in our 2011 CBA, and that was one reason I opposed it. The impediment to retirement at age 60 still exists, and the guy who missed out on the pre-Medicare VEBA will be turning 60 soon.
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