Originally Posted by
BoilerUP
My preference is always “more pie”. I am acutely aware, however, that the company hasn’t been interested in baking more for probationary pilots in the past, regardless of the IPA’s efforts.
If there’d be a way to pull an arbitrary dollar amount from second year pay and apply that to first year pay without negatively impacting pilots already on second year pay, that would IMO be something to consider. I’m not certain how feasible negotiating a grandfather clause would be, though.
Another option would be taking some of the eventual new contract DOS raise percentage from 2nd year rates and applying those actual dollars to 1st year pay. Existing 2nd year pilots still would get a DOS raise, while first year pay would get a much-needed bump beyond the flat percentage.
For example and easy math, lets say DOS raise is 10%. $50.33/$192.01/$192.27 rates for the first three years on 1 Sept 20 would then become $55.36/$211.21/$211.50. Taking $10/hr from the DOS 2nd year rate and moving it to the 1st year rate would result in $65.36/$201.21/$211.50, giving the probationary rate a significant 29.87% increase. I have to believe that’d help first-year retention, too.
Again, I’d prefer “more pie”...and have no idea if the company would even entertain the above rumination.
Ok, I think I understand the position. I will say I agree the issues with first year to second year pay are stated well by Salty, I think the IPA would soon have 2 year union members stating that there is a B scale for second year pilots and they would resent it. They would have no corporate knowledge of why they get paid a lower percentage at year two then the rest of the IPA pilots received in year two longevity.
The pay slope was rather large for years 1-6 before the 2006 contract and a MUCH contentious issue with lower longevity members. It was often stated that there was a hidden B scale that didn't go away till year 7.
I am all for increasing first year pay and don't need new hires to earn what I did as a new hire. The trick as always is how and how to avoid future issues.