Originally Posted by
FDXLAG
Of course reducing BLG below contract mins is no more legal than changing the rigs or the mpdp.
As stated elsewhere, they already have a mechanism to reduce BLG's-- it just says
before not
how long before.
4.A.2.b. The minimum bid period guarantee shall be reduced to a minimum of 48/60 CH before any pilot is furloughed. At least a full bid period must follow the announcement of this action. This provision shall only be used to prevent or delay a furlough.
Likewise postulated in this forum, 48/60 is probably less than the target BLG for the circumstances we currently face to avoid both furloughs and hiring.
4.B. . . . Prior to any adjustments, however, a BLG shall not be less than the minimum bid period guarantee as provided in Section 4.A.1. (above). If the sum of trip guarantees for trips on a pilot's regular line is less than the minimum bid period guarantee, such pilot's BLG shall be increased to the minimum bid period guarantee.
So if lines are generated with less than the contractual minimum of 68/85 (Sec 4.A.1), they must pay the difference as stated above and as the company has already done.
4.C. . . . Prior to any adjustments, however, an RLG shall not be less than the minimum bid period guarantee as provided in Section 4.A.1. (above).
Public math is problematic, but a min RLG is guaranteed and that means that as an absolute worst case, if
all the lines go to the minimum 68/85 that RLG will be 65/81 (not very likely IMHO) .
I am sure there is a setting on the optimizer to assure that a 63CH regular line will work 15 days in a 4-week month. But it seems more likely that regular and secondary line holders could get extra pay (pay up to 65CH min) and maybe an extra day off; while reserve guys will have to work all 15 days (as normal/usual).
My point is that the bean counters may have postulated that the best/cheapest path is to "pay up" to the 65CH min on several lines in order to buy a little more time to assess the this unique conflagration of events. But then again, what do I know. We all will know more next week when the Feb bidpacks hit the street.