The real test will be when we see if the company uses a few STVs as a stop gap, or if it becomes "standard practice" and we use them in lieu of hiring into those FDAs if there are some vacancies.

The company and the union are confident the FDAs will be filled. I think there will be some serious FO vacancies--but I've been wrong before and I'll reserve judgement. We can go round and round on the board with predictions but time will tell how many vacancies will be created.

If there are vacancies, the tone the company and union take on filling them will be a defining moment. Flt management indicated these things are nothing but a stop gap measure and they don't expect to use them much. For everyone's sake, I hope they are right. If this things become "permanent temporary positions", sort of like those 179 day billets in the Air Force to choice garden spots, and the company makes no move to fill those gaps with new folks who WANT to be there, then I think the company will lose a lot of future negotiating credibility and our union will have learned a very hard lesson. Even though I voted against the LOA, I hope that does not come to fruition. I'd rather be "wrong" and have happy people in the FDAs that have guys getting shacked for bad deals with me on the sidelines going "I told you so...."

I also think this will have some effect on upgrade bidding. Right now, if you are an A300 FO, and you are the last guy on the list...about the worst thing that will happen is you'll spend 15 days in MEM on A reserve. If we end up sending guys for 30 days plus travel time to China, there may be some who decide its better to be 80% on the 727 than 100% on the bus. Eventually, I expect the MD-10/11 to have similiar ramfications.

In short--the company and union said "trust us". 68% said "okay". I hope the 68% were right this time. The LOA is OVER, and we are now in this together. If we get the FDAs fillled with volunteers, FDX gets its labor at a discount and makes money, and the 100% upgraders are happy--this can be win/win/win. The company and the union come out looking like visionaries. If we start crushing guys and gals and sending them against their will--the company is going to have a hard time selling anything to the pilot group in the future, and I think the MEC will have lost any trust they haven't already previously squandered.