Originally Posted by
BE24pilot
Don't be stupid, focus your attention where it belongs. New hires are not the problem here. Most new people to this company have no idea of the contract or etiquette of accepting help with costs of the iPad. There are a lot of mixed messages coming from all directions, and I highly doubt that the company explained it to them that " hey here are these gifts that no one else gets, and will cause a huge issue with those who have already come through". I am sure it was spun as something that is just done. If you want to get angry call your reps, hold the people accountable that are responsible for enforcing the contract. Hold the company accountable for continuos violations of the contract, egregious working conditions, and subpar industry pay and QOL. If we can't get an industry average contract here then we should vote with our feet.
True. I'll go a step further and say that if you are truly concerned about the well-being of our new hires, you should tell them these things and give them some advice about how unions, contracts, and the RLA process works when you fly with them. It's not just the new hires, either--too many of our new Captains came through the ranks soooooo fast they've never really been through enough industry cycles/events to really truly understand how things work: anything that is not negotiated/LOAed by ALPA is a double-edged sword: yeah, you're putting more money in
your pocket in the short-term, but you're also establishing a precedent and exposing the rest of the pilot group to more acts of contractual sidestepping.
You have to set some minimum standard of what actions/programs outside of the contract are acceptable and unacceptable. I think the ontime performance bonus is acceptable without an LOA from the union. I think the No Stay Program should've probably been negotiated through the union. And I most certainly, definitely, unequivocally think the new hire payments/iPads need to be properly authorized by the union in an LOA.
Where do you draw the line on payments outside of a contract? $2,000 extra a month? $10,000? Where do you draw the line? What if they're giving them lambos and free condos in South Beach? At what point does acceptance of extracontractual benefits become morally unacceptable to you? What if they were giving them a flow to United--but not the existing FOs? (Delta actually tried this with Endeavor, but Endeavor's ALPA chapter said noooooope and got it extended to all Endeavor FOs).
I want new hires to come here--I really do--I want our shiny EJets full and staffed while sunbeams shine down the rafters of every Mesa crewroom/schoolhouse. But I want that to happen in accordance with the contract and LOAs our union and pilot group have agreed upon.