Originally Posted by
Adlerdriver
Got it now. I don't claim any PBS expertise, but I'll offer my opinion based on buds at other airlines that use it and what little info I've picked up over the years.
First, IMO, PBS isn't a specific item that could be evaluated in a way to answer your question. PBS simply refers to a method of building schedules. An airline that builds schedules using that method may buy a software program from a third party that accomplishes the task or develop their own.
So, the answer to your question depends on the quality of the program FedEx might choose to replace what they currently use for secondary lines. Is it easy to use and understand? Does the resulting schedule correspond to the seniority and requests of the pilot? Impossible to answer without a specific program to evaluate.
Removing vacation buffers from the contract would obviously have to be negotiated like anything else. I'm not sure removing them from the contract would be something the company would see as a big gain. After all, the secondary pilot is only getting a one-for-one return on his vacation days and the planners have the rest of the month to use. Maybe there's more to that I'm missing.
Frankly, anything developed in the last decade would have to be better than what we currently use. A big part of the problem is there is so much mis-information out there about how to use our current system. Many pilots don't understand how it works because it's not very clear and there's very little information available. Did you know the planners actually still input each line of our secondary worksheet manually and assign an arbitrary point value to each line? Then the program runs and builds each line in order based on the point ranking. Total points for each pilot's worksheet is 1000. Oh, and it doesn't try to give everyone their number one choice. I've heard that one thrown around a lot.
Anyway, that's my .02
You know a PBS system might be better processing secondary lines than what we do now. BUT, the major problem I have is that the changes are controlled by a secondary line working group. If this is the best TA the NC could get, can you imagine what the SLWG could come up with? And then it just has to be signed off by the union with no pilot vote.
I just don't want a decade long contract that has unknown health care costs and unknown QOL degradation via a new secondary line system. I bet if these procedures and costs were spelled out in the TA, any fence sitters would be HE11 NO.
With all the give backs here and there in this TA, I must think of the worst they could do with the secondary line system, expect it, and vote based on the worst. I have to live with it for too long before we can negotiate to fix it to think otherwise.
Another point, if 20% of the reserve lines are held out, and no min number of reserve lines have to be produced, we've just agreed to significantly increase the amount of secondary lines there will be in each bid pack. Folks, this TA introduces PBS on us for a significant portion of the crew force, and in greater numbers than secondary lines exist today!