Originally Posted by
Thor
I believe that in the context of this paragraph, withholding consent is only applies to future FRMS routes and not ceasing ALPA's participation in the program at large (like we did last spring).
If the company did unilaterally change past practice and do something that would diminish safety, ALPA could withhold consent of future FRMS routes. The downside is that without the ability to rescind participation in FRMS, pilots flying FRMS routes who are negatively impacted by the company's unilateral changes could be impacted without recourse.
This is an offset (aka giveback) to the current agreement, no?
Example, the company proposes 20 new FRMS routes that fit the template and they're "granted consent" by ALPA. Now the company makes a change to scheduling or staffing that makes the operation untenable and unsafe. Under the TA, I don't see that ALPA retains the ability to stop participation in FRMS, only the ability withhold consent on new routes.
I must be missing something.
FRMS routes, once approved by the FAA, have very specific conditions and limitations such as departure times and augmentation. The company cannot "change scheduling and staffing" on these FRMS routes without FAA approval. There are some good Q&As on FRMS on the extension website. They should answer your questions.