Originally Posted by
Freightbird
d. Housing Allowance
i. Rental Allowance. Pilots shall be entitled to a rental allowance of up
to $2,700 per month to offset the cost of rental housing in the FDA
location. Money paid to a landlord for water/utilities, internet/cable,
parking, maintenance, etc., may be included in the rental allowance.
ii. Home Ownership Allowance. Pilots who choose to own, rather than
rent their housing, shall be entitled to a monthly allowance of up to
$1,300.
"up to"? Could be less, no?
Is there a minimum "allowance" guarantee in there that I missed, or any ties to the direct costs incurred for rent, mortgage, or utilities? Seems like an "allowance" could be used to pay for housing, but there is no concrete link between owning housing costs and this "allowance" other than the title "housing allowance". One might argue that the term "allowance" by itself does not imply a link directly to housing costs or utilities, and the link between the allowances' upper monetary limit and the pilot's choice of housing options is the only direct link. You could choose to spend an allowance on anything you want, and do not have to use it for housing costs. As such, if your housing costs go up, should there be an obligation for your allowance to be readjusted as well? What if your costs go down? Should your allowance? How often must these costs be readjusted? What if the real value of the allowance changes as a result of a large exchange rate fluctuation b/t the Euro and the $?
All it says it that you
could get an allowance of up to $2700 if you rent, and $1300 if you own. If you rent, the allowance is to offset the rental housing costs, but isn't linked to them directly. If you own, the allowance is merely that, an allowance. There is no mention of exactly what it is for, though it's upper monetary limit is based on your choice to own housing, not necessarily on the costs you incur while owning.
I can feel the lawyer circling for the kill.
