Originally Posted by
rvr1800
Kellwolf maybe you need to read the email again. It says the pilots value for the 41 day training cycle is $3571. That's about what you get when you take $2500 PER MONTH and apply it to 41 days. You need to comprehend what you're reading before you come on here accusing the Union of being anything but 100% honest.
Sorry, I'm applying my past history with ALPA here. It's repeating itself. While we're on the subject of reading comprehension, lets look at the language of the PEA again, shall we?
Other Rates
Initial Training Pay. The Pilot shall receive $2,500 PER MONTH plus lodging during the Pilot's initial training.
The company cannot pay a new hire less than this. If you divide $2,500 by 30 (the per month thing) then multiply that by 41 (days in the training cycle), you get $3,417. This is about $100 than the "value" stated in the union e-mail. Without knowing what's included in the "value," we can't really know for sure. Also, I guess they still owe me $324.25 from new hire training as that's what I wound up being short of the "value." What we DO know is our new hires can't be paid LESS than $2,500 once they sign the PEA, which is normally in the first couple of days of class. Anything less than that is a violation of the PEA and the status quo. I'd hope our ALPA lawyers already have the grievance filed and ready to go on that one as that's pretty illegal for the company to do.
And yeah, I read the union e-mail several times because I couldn't believe what I was reading. Let's take a look again:
Change in Payment for New Hires
Now that the JetBlue Lodge has been ceremoniously opened with great fanfare, management has decided to change how a new hire is compensated during initial training. In the past, a new hire received a $2500/month stipend (pro-rated). Currently a new hire pilot has a "value" equivalent to $3571 for a 41 day training footprint. Starting next week a revised training pay for the same period will be $2857 which is $714 less cash.
If this is true, it's a violation of the status quo and illegal. The company can't change an item in the PEA without union approval no more than Delta management could change something in a Delta pilot's contract without union approval, at least not without some serious legal ramifications. So they cannot "change how a new hire is compensated during initial training." It's in black and white in the PEA.
So, either the union is misunderstanding what the "value" or they're just letting the company get away with not honoring the PEA. Sets up a bad precedent and saying "Our ALPA legal counsel has made it clear that we cannot represent new hires until after they complete IOE per the RLA—a legal limitation we cannot change." is disappointing since it's in EVERYONE'S PEA. All we'd need is one guy not a new hire to fill out a grievance, and there ya go. If the company's actually not paying new hires $2,500 a month, I'd be happy to fill out a grievance on their behalf.
So, the facts as they stand are the company MUST pay new hires $2,500 cash per month unless for some reason they don't sign the PEA.
In my experience with ALPA, they're telling the whole truth about 85% of the time. The other 15% of the time it's either a spin, miscommunication or someone fired off a communication before checking their facts. I've never seen 100% of the truth all the time from ALPA. And, yes. I was a "yes" voter. Reluctantly, though. It's more of a "demon you know" type thing for me. People need to stop assuming that ALPA is telling 100% truth all the time just because it's in a union communication.
As for the loss of the $6,000 there's not much ALPA can do about that since it's not guaranteed in the PEA. IF it's true (and again based on experience an internet post that says "an ALPA rep told me" isn't the best source), it's a big mistake on the part of the company and unfortunate. It'll cost us talent and wind up costing them a lot more than $6,000 per guy in the future.
Then again, maybe we can all calm down (myself included) and wait to hear what ACTUALLY happens from the new hire guys in class.....