Flaps50

Just my opinion, but I made a huge mistake by voting for this contract. Interpretations continue to surprise us; I think the next surprise is going to be the bid for training slot implementation as FedEx will likely not do it like other major airlines do. We have nowhere to go with retirement except to make it worse while out of section 6 bargaining.

I agree that learning more and researching is smart, but there is absolutely no incentive for the company to give us a better retirement right now as we are flying our schedules plus some. This could easily become a huge mistake as it seems to be getting legs of its own IMO; the company has got to be salivating because they can develop wording that is interpreted later by them in a different manner than they lead on in negotiations (lay flat seats, paid hotel deviations after a continental trip, healthcare that works well if you don't need it, etc).

I believe this contract other than basic pay is worse than our 2006 contract. Our 2.5 hour international 1st class deadheads that probably cost an average of $100 extra if you wanted to pay it yourself using the upgrade form has yielded an interpretation by the company that's being grieved, and essentially no more intl first class tickets and incredibly low banks. There was a MEM extra B757 trip a friend told me about that had a DH to Europe preceded by a long layover that allowed them to use a coach only airline like Easy Jet with a $500 bank (it's all that was available on the scheduled flight; "they'll never do that" I was told by a negotiator.) Buyer beware... I know what the retirement language is right now, I'm not willing to vote to change it as it's the main reason I applied for my career here at FedEx. Pilots with a maxed out pension have absolutely no skin in losing out on new language as they can only get more. The union talked about tax implications with our healthcare as though that would never change, and we got a 46% in crease in our buy up plan premiums and now the ACA may go away, and tax issues were delayed anyway... They're making similar arguments with our retirement now...

Stuff like this gets traction and becomes tough to turn off regardless of how the union leadership wants to spin it. People's projects can become driven by a sense that if something isn't agreed to or changed then they have failed... Our leadership has good intentions, but people get hurt by good intentioned actions all the time.