Originally Posted by
fadec
So if I call and make an overseas deal it is contractual as long as I dont violate other parts of the contract. Good to know. Thanks. I wont break the contract. But if I can legally spend an extra day or two travelling overseas and then get paid for an elided deadhead while avoiding imputed income and travelling back to base I'm going to jump on it. I'm not sure that's a flaw in the contract. Seems like a feature. I respect that some guys want to spend time in base/gateway or only pick up out of their base/gateway or have a commute situation that fits the gateway model. Those of us who live or travel overseas have a different situation. It's our contract too.
Absolutely take whatever advantages you are able to squeeze out of this contract. There are very few that favor the pilot group. Also, please note that I am most certainly NOT the final word on our contract. If you have any questions regarding the contractual legality of your plans, contact a 1224 representative for the final answer. Just be sure to cover your six.
This contract is difficult to understand at best. It was written by Atlas lawyers who did a very poor job. In my limited experience with our CBA, I have found entire paragraphs that make no sense what-so-ever due to carelessly omitted words. It is so bad that these flaws favor neither the pilots nor the company and have gone uncorrected for years.
Yes, it's your contract, too. My issue is when the contract obviously favors small subsets within the pilot group to the detriment of the vast majority. For instance, a disproportionate number of pages in the current contract favors instructors and check airmen (although this group is growing). Our dental plan allows for bridges, dentures, crowns, ... all old guy stuff and has nothing about orthodontics for all of us younger guys who have kids with fangs and buck teeth. And there are clauses like the one we're talking about that may favor the overseas guys like you which is maybe 2 -3% of the total pilot group.
Whatever your personal situation is, study up on the contract and protect yourself and the group. Letting the company violate the contract is no longer going to go unchallenged. Letting pilots violate the contract will no longer going to go unchallenged (by me, at least). There seems to be a very focused interest on completely rewriting the upcoming contract and I, for one, will be very vocal when it comes to representing our interests.
No matter what your particular situation, the message to the company is definitely going to be:
NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY !!!
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