Originally Posted by
Omnislash
From looking at your post history and hearing crickets after I commented on your previous post, it's apparent that you don't like the company that you work for, the union that represents the pilots, or the process used to address issues. I'm not going to say that everything is perfect here, but it's better than some other places and has gotten better over the time that I have been here.
As mentioned in another response above, it was not said that it's unsafe to meet or work out grievances. From what we have been told, they are meeting constantly to make sure we are still around when this is over.
Some of the rest of your post is absurd. Yes, we are expected to go work because it is our job, but I did not hear that we are being expected to take pay cuts. If you don't think both sides are working more than before, you are being pessimistic and just looking for people to be angry at.
Your recent posts have been about the bonuses and your anger about that. It looks like they still expedited that even though they said that there would be delays with filed issue forms. Sorry it didn't go the way you wanted but it's a process and they are still pushing it. Sometimes these cases take a long time get resolved but that is the process.
Here is an excerpt from the email that you referenced that seems to spell out exactly what's going on:
"As was covered in a previous communication, both the Company and the Association have agreed to suspend the timeliness provisions regarding filed issue forms so that the parties can focus to the many unprecedented issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This, however, does not mean that we aren’t continuing the work of enforcing our contract. Any pilot with questions about the process should feel free to contact the Grievance Committee so we can clear up any confusion."
We have enough negativity going around without you trying to get people fired up by spreading false information and making up assumptions about information that has already been spelled out.
Hey OmniSlash, I think you would be hard-pressed to find anyone I've flown with that thinks I don't like the company. I actually think ZW is a great place to work, with great people, and a good culture. I think everyone has reflected on their career choices the last few months, and I can say that I don't think I would go to any other airline if I could make my choice again. I'm happy here at ZW. I think they treat us well.
However, I do think the Union that represents us is ineffective. Further, based on emails I've seen and conversations I've had regarding the bonus, I would say they are misleading. When this whole bonus process started, they spread misinformation to many of the pilots effected. Whether they intentionally did this or accidentally did this is open for debate/interpretation. But they had the information available to them, because I personally provided it to them--but they chose to not disperse this information internally, not to study the information provided, or to play stupid and plead ignorance. If you want me to provide more information on this, feel free to PM me.
You mention that I am not happy with the processes used to address the issues. This is inaccurate. I am happy with the grievance process, but it is not being followed. I am unhappy that there is no process being used as of now. Our grievance is in limbo with no definitive timeline on getting a resolution. I talked to an FO the other day who said he needs the bonus money in order to keep his kid in the same school. Not knowing when there will be a solution is a disservice to the pilot group.
You mention that they are not meeting because they are working on other projects. I think that is fair. I tried to pull up the original email that said they were suspending the timeline to get more context, but I couldn't find it. If anyone can provide that Pay Day Hotline date that would be great. However, all of the emails regarding furlough mitigation are vague at best. They provide no details or offers made/declined from either the company or the union. I hope they can find solutions, but most companies have announced agreements by this point but ARWMEC has not. Further, they have made it clear there will be zero pay concessions for pilots who stay on property, which makes negotiations quite quick/easy.
As for my pay cuts comment above... I just didn't want someone to say "Oh you can take a SAH line and not have to travel."
I agree that these things take time. I'm just happy to still have a job as of now. But when I hear ALPA members bragging about how scheduling let them swap one leg with another ALPA member so that they can keep captain pay, I get frustrated. When I see ALPA reps say they don't have certain documents and then see them sending that document a month prior, I get frustrated. When I see the suspension of a process that we voted on and approved as the pilot group, I get frustrated. Can there be delays on these things? Sure. But it needs to be more defined than "We'll get to it later".