Originally Posted by dckozak

It might not be rocket science but collectively, Fedex pilot's are being out played at every level. Fedex pilot's (and by extension, its union) are in a complex game with it's employer with regards to how much we are worth and how we all go about determining it. Using the analogy of Chess and checkers, Fedex is playing three demential chess and we can't even agree on which color piece we want to play checkers at! Consider all the tools Fedex has at its disposal that it has used over a 40+ year timeline and continues to use to this day.

1. A contract (reluctantly agreed) years ago based on a document created by Fedex management in a non union environment using incentives to the individual at the expense of the whole (I'll clarify later).

2. Political influence at the highest levels to undermine labor's rights in negotiating and defending a legal binding contract.

3. Astute use of company communication at multiple levels to inform, confuse, and threaten depending of the situation at the time (think red letter).

4. Possible use of anonymous backchannel communication through social media to spread misinformation or test the waters on various proposals outside of the legal framework of our legal bargaining unit (FDX ALPA)

5. Further in that vain, posters on this and other outlets undermining the union, the members work for and on behalf of the pilots and sowing direct discord with the crew force.

I'm sure I could come up with more but this a good start to understanding the forces we are up against. Speaking to the first point I made, we work under a work agreement that was ground breaking at it inception for a large, well respected and desired (unionized) airline. Incentives to work on days off, to sell back vacation, to buy back used sick leave, banking credit to pick up trips, all these and a couple more that escape me, all help to undermine our college ability to earn more for an hour flying or day away from home or even being compensated for flying at night, international or over holidays.

To the point of the previous poster, retirement. I have no dog in this fight, I'm soon outta here. The argument over increasing the defined benefit plan screams for a logical and achievable means of getting there. The company has made it very clear they want out of the defined plan as it currently stands. In 05 the union made it adamantly clear we would not accept pilots on the the seniority list with two different retirement plans. Great, new and old both have a fixed annuity that has been fixed since, what 1995? (someone correct me if the date is wrong). A 30 yo pilot hired today will retire with $130,000 per year (less adjustments for spouse) in 2057 or so. The company would LOVE that, maybe throw a couple % towards the PSP like we got last time, rather than talk about a compromise that we may not like (vs a flat out increase in the high 5 calculations) but was agreed upon.

Will only hold out for an increase in the A plan annuity, tell us how we get there? See point two above. Labor only real tool in the dance with management has always been strike or disruption. Both these tools we have been all but legally forced out of using (thank your local congressmen, judges put on the federal bench and others put in place by various hostile {to labor} administrations over the last 35 years). So due to our very permissive labor agreement, we are at the (collective) mercy of ourselves, and guess what? we have a bad track record of not helping ourselves at the expense of the group. Ninety percent of you where not here when some (many?) of our pilots happily flew trips at 200% in a not so subtle attempt to undermine a weakness the company had in manning back in the early 90's. So as to make the point clear, they even handed out and some pilot wore, lapel buttons with 200% on it. Sound familiar? I don't think Fedex could do 200% as easily now (I believe we were not unionized at that time), but they have many other ways to entice people to pass on being home for the holidays.

Think about what is achievable considering what we as a group can do and what you individually can and are willing to do for the greater good. If you believe in unity but individually reconcile that you have to take what you can when offered then don't bit*ch about what you get in the future. Best of luck, you are going to need it.