Originally Posted by
BlueMoon
I hear they are paying the Street captains captains pay from day one, yet the company is stiffing FO's that are upgrading to captain until after they pass their FAA ride. Also heard ALPA is allowing the company to do this.
From the current XJ contract, section 3 (Compensation)
D. Pay Effective Date
A new hire pilot will be paid at the rate identified in paragraph
A. above, appropriate to the category for which he is in training.
Subsequent to new hire training, a pilot’s pay rate will be
changed: 1) when he receives a longevity increase provided for
in paragraph A. above; and 2) when he changes seat or
equipment, effective as of the completion of IOE; or if IOE is not
required, the first day following the completion of training; or if
no training is required, the effective date of the new position.
I'm not a union rep, so this is certainly not anything official. You can look this issue up in your contract, in chapter 3, Compensation. I don't know what the union's official stance on this is, but from my reading of the contract (not official), it seems the company is doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing. For new hires, pilots are paid according to the seat they are training for. For all other non-new pilots, their pay does not change until the completion of IOE.
What do you want the union to do about this? The company is following the contract. There cannot be a grievance over this, as no contract provisions are being broken. I have heard that there are some other issues being addressed related to this overall situation. However, the street captains are being paid CA pay from day one because that is what the contract stipulates.
Don't get me wrong, if you don't like this, please feel free to make your case to your union rep. Maybe this is something that folks would like to try to change in the next contract (5 years from now). There is no use getting too worked up over the current contract, however. It was the best solution to the whole rotten, corrupt, sham bankruptcy the company forced on everyone. It certainly could have ended up far far worse than it did.
I don't like (and I'm pretty sure no-one likes) waiting for IOE completion for the pay raise. It forces pilots to pay for the companies inefficiencies, while letting the company off the hook. I hate the 2 year seat lock (I kinda get the feeling I'm not alone there, either). I get upset over these things also. However, it's kind of a waste of a good sulk, as these are provisions of the contract so there is very little to be done about them, other than trying to improve on them during consensual negotiations. I get the feeling that there are other priorities in the company-union relationship right now, so I'm not holding my breath.
There is a good pdf version of the contract on our ALPA website. It's a good resource whenever you have questions about how the company or your union is responding to a given situation. Feel free to call your reps whenever you have any questions, also. They're on your side.