Originally Posted by av8rmike

First off, DW has made a whole lot of new friends with his assertions that the 757 Flex/LCA/SCA cadre tried to work their 'own deals'. That's pure BS.

Additionally, he asserted that there was no requirement to have experienced instructors to stand up the program. Also, pure BS. Do you really think the local FSDO fellas would allow a program to be stood up with a cadre of inexperienced instructors?... That requirement came from the FSDO, the FAA at the national level and upper management who was concerned about this from a safety standpoint. No other way to put it, he's flat wrong.

Almost every single Flex instructor and all LCA/SCAs at this company are getting WB Captain pay. If you have to use experienced people, WB pay goes along with it.

The 757 program has been built from nothing through the efforts of these individuals. The company goofed up and didn't address the issue early enough, no question there. They are trying to redress this wrong and take care of the very people who are necessary to the continuation of the 757 program. However, who's standing in the way? Our own union.

We have never brought a lower paying aircraft on property and our contract does not address issues associated with this. Rather than acknowledge this is a deficiency and work to fix it, the union leadership trumpets that they won't allow the contract to be violated! When the 757 program shuts down because there are no instructors, make sure you let the MEC know how happy you are that they elected to stick it to the man rather than fix the problem.

DW's comment about addressing issues with new aircraft introduction with the 777 is disingenuous. The issues are the same, just in reverse as those of the 757. If he's willing to work to let guys too junior to hold an aircraft be instructors, then he sure as he11 should be willing to work on behalf of the senior guys keeping their pay to stand up the 757.

The MEC should be the champion of the individuals who made the effort to stand up the 757 program. They should be fighting to protect their pay and recognize that they are necessary for the success of the program. Instead, they rail against "the actions of the 757 Flex/LCAs" and "special deals", neither of which are true. Isn't 98 hours a month at the highest pay rate, housing stipend, use of company car and 5 hours a day a "special deal"? Must not be....

OK, off the soapbox now....