Originally Posted by
APC225
It's interesting how they want to make the short calls a sore point, ignoring them for the 1100 window, building them in the evening, assigning them after midnight, always in a crisis, when the UPA describes short call "lines." It's like they want to be in crisis mode. FSB was going be rare, but it's routine now. Short call lines were going to be routine, but they're nonexistent.
3-C-1-b-(2) Notwithstanding Section 3-C-1-b-(1), a Reserve who is awarded a pure Short Call line shall receive an MPG, rounded to the nearest minute, of four hours, thirteen minutes and twenty seconds (4:13:20) for each reserve day.
20-K-1-a A Reserve begins each period of reserve days as a Long Call reserve unless he is awarded a pure Short Call line...
20-K-6-i The Company may offer lines consisting of a Short Call assignment on each work day. These pure Short Call lines shall be awarded in seniority order only to those Reserves who have requested one.
In order to intelligently discuss SC's realistically, we must all realize that SC's means different things to different entities. The Crewdesk uses SC's as a "workaround" to the long-call dilemma - that is to say, SC's are "hot reserves" and can be used almost immediately. If the crewdesk had their way, EVERYBODY would be on SC. Building SC's requires no justification - "build em and assign em". To the pilot who lives in base, it's a minor bump in the road - no biggie. To the Commuter, it's a decision - do I need to fly up to SFO to get into position or can I realistically sit at home with bags packs ready to go to the airport and hope I can get on a flight in time. Like I stated previously, you will never be able to eliminate the "arbitrary and capriciousness" of SC use by the Crewdesk. The only thing the negotiating committee can do is try to put shackles on it - They come at a cost. All SC's are 1 hour of pay. At the end of a SC block, the reserve is RELEASED for 8 hours of rest.
Ever wonder why it is taking so long to get SC Lines?? My guess is that would require the crewdesk to do ACTUAL manpower planning. Why else do you have situations where you have 4 available reserves and they put 3 on SC?