This discussion is circular and will never provide the definitive answer to what is the best retirement for (collectively) Fedex pilots. Why? Because all off us come in with different timelines (years of service) and previous retirement savings, and possibly a pension from an earlier career. The sweet spot of our A plan is a 40 year old arriving as a second career, drawing a pension and working for 25 years at Fedex and able to earn 260K for 5 years while here. In terms of retirement $$$ for years worked at Fedex or income earned, this is the gold standard, all who come in later or spent the majority of there earning years at Fedex and did not pull a pension at age 40, pale by comparison.
The current freezing of the A plan benefit is changing that equation. Greater reliance on the variable pilot controlled portion, which is the default reality, means you will have a greater bank of wealth at retirement based on your desire (or luck) in how much you earn and how smart (or again lucky) each and every year you give Fedex. As far as fairness is concerned, this a better outcome than having the few who "win" by virtue of having come to Fedex after retiring from another job at age 40.
I would like to see the A plan caps raised/removed, but wishing for that looks increasing like chasing a rainbow, we will never get there. A fairer plan would use your career earnings to determine a lifetime payout, rewarding those who came, young and didn't earn a previous payout for service, and gave a majority of their time to Fedex. I don't see this happening either, but we need to do something. Nine precent B plan money over and above the diminishing value of our fixed (A plan) is not sustainable, not compared to the rest of the industry, over the long haul. Cash over cap is a good start for the B plan and for sure should be negotiated, I just doubt the company will do so outside of section 6. As for the fixed income part of our retirement, we should be fighting to ensure every Fedex pilot, at retirement, gets no less and possibly more, than 50% of his final (average ?) earnings, or better, 3% +- of his career earning each year until death.
It increasing looks as if future retirees are going to have to take on a greater part of the (investment) risk Fedex has, till now, assumed at 100%. This is the hand we have been dealt, the majority helped determined it when we voted in our last contact. Now's the time to either fix it or live with the declining value of our A plan. Wishing for a different outcome is wasted energy and pointless. Give your elected reps your opinion, but don't scream to them about an outcome we all had a hand in creating. Its time to move constuctively forward.