Originally Posted by
Justdoinmyjob
I was told as a new hire that it is a willful disregard of the contract to give up a DH seat. We negotiated the seat, the company expects us to sit in the seat, and don't go around violating the contract just to help out the company.
Now, how we apply the contract seems to be an individual thing. Some take a more literal stance than others. You want to give up or concede some part of it, fine. But then, do you really have any ground to complain when another individual decides to do the same, but with another area?
I will use the jumpseat when I see fit. Nothing in the contract says we can't. I don't have a problem with how individuals choose to enforce the contract. The contract is there to protect you, ie the company cannot force you to ride the jumpseat on a DH leg, but it does not say I can't ride the jumpseat. Same with the duty day. The company cannot force me beyond a certain point, but within the FARs, if I choose to go beyond the contractual duty day so I can get home vs being stuck on a layover, then that's what I will do.
If ALPA is that concerned with the contract, take it out of the pilots hands. Put it in writing that a pilot has to comply with every section of the contact, no matter what.