Originally Posted by
Vsop
thanks for the feedback. You are correct 6.85% total was the original idea. I liked jiggawatt’s thought of setting a distribution target rather than a contribution target. I came up with 5% as contribution because it is far less than the 15% ALV the company has been discussing. By approaching the issue from the other way and using the distribution target of $40/yr the the total contribution is reduced to 5.25-5.75%. It’s a range since I don’t know our collective average annual income and I’m trying to use conservative numbers of $200-215k. A vast majority of Captains out earn those figures and a large percentage of FOs beat those numbers too. ALPA has the actual data and would be able to set a much more accurate dues increase. If our income is higher, the dues increase is lower.
I’ve been sousing this idea out for a few days. I included the carve out because I saw the biggest potential hurdle in getting this approved was if pilot’s thought ALPA would be taking too much from those that recently lost the most income potential (out side of the furloughed pilots). However, the feedback so far from yourself and others has been in favor of everyone or no one. I am completely on board with that concept, and using all ~10,500 pilots lowers the dues increase as well.
Its a good idea in principal, some thoughts:
what do you say to those pilots who are senior on the list that already went through furloughs with no help and then got shafted in bankruptcy and lost their pension? Those guys were called out for trying to get overweighted retirement improvements in the recent contract discussions (precovid). My position was inline with most mid seniority to junior pilots...Sorry, but to take from the young to fund the senior 15 years later is not a viable solution. Hence it’s a hard argument to say to them, well the shoes on the other foot now, so help me now when I was unwilling to support making said dead zoner retirements whole.
second, many guys might have an issue with people getting 40k while not actually doing anything to earn it. Spitballing, but how about you make it a loan to said furloughed pilots, who when theyAre back on property have an additional dues deduction to repay said funds, say 3% until the ‘loan’ is repaid? This money can go back into a special account, and eventually it gets repaid to the initial pilots who had the additional funds withheld to help the furloughed guys.
not sure about the tax implications...for any of this.
its pretty clear the company doesn’t give a sh!t about these guys, and are willing to sacrifice them on the alter of a contract / work rule reset....so anything we can do to help with in reason should be on the table for discussion.