Originally Posted by
Zenofzin
Look we all know from your hundreds of post that your bitter and you can’t let it go but the BOD determines executive compensation. It’s done it’s over Smisex is gone. Let it go for Gods sake. We are a business trying to make a profit and a return to our shareholders. It’s not personal. Reserves aren’t gonna make 85 hrs to sit home and not fly, ain’t gonna happen. Our union will negotiate a fiscally responsibile contract with some tweaks improvements and increases to pay, enjoy it let the past go and move on. LET IT GO.
...And the company's negotiators bargain with ALPA to determine pilot compensation. What's your point?
Do you think Mr Munoz and Mr Kirby go into negotiations on their personal compensation with the mindset that they want to cut their salary so that United can make more money? If you do, I have a bridge to sell you...
All we're saying is we're in the best profitability and position to negotiate a union contract right now, and raising reserve guarantee to a level where current local lineholders would actually bid it and prevent junior guys in BES from needing to commute to reserve would be a win for most pilots at United. It's also a simple metric that doesn't require difficult language that can be misinterpreted by a mediator after we sign a contract.
You say that 85 hrs is ridiculous to pay a guy/gal on reserve? If pilots thought the current model were fair, why don't people bid it? Instead, people are stuck with it, or you get the response, "You chose to sit reserve" You assume a pilot on reserve is getting paid to sit at home and "not fly" is what we pay a reserve pilot for.
No. A reserve pilot is paid for his/her availability. You are paying for a pilot to have an unknown schedule. It's hard to buy tickets to a football game or concert tickets, or even know if you can be there for your kids soccer game or theater performance. It's hard to run a business on the side if you might be called out of the country for 4 days.
There's a cost to this model. Who are you to say that 85 hrs is too much?
I asked everyone to forgo numbers in this discussion due to section 6 negotiations, but you choose to throw numbers out there anyway which shows your disrespect for the process. My guess is you're super senior or you are at the seniority where you are comfortable and have no plans of moving further up.
We are not the only career field with this type of model. I have friends who are doctors that have "call" that get paid for their availability too. They get compensated well, whether someone comes into the emergency room or not.
Companies only job isn't a "profit and a return to it's shareholders". If it were, then sell the whole airline, cash out, and put the money into an industry with a much higher ROI.
Why does "any" position at a union company have to suck on all aspects(ie reserve). My original point stands, make reserve a good enough deal so that it goes to local pilots who would be happy to sit at home with an unknown schedule until they are called.
We all recognize this is a "first world" problem and we all have it pretty good at United, but let's "make hay while the sun shines".
Please everyone stop selling the profession short.