Originally Posted by
DashAviator
The main provisions include:
(1) Minimum guarantee for all aircraft now 4.2 credit hours per day. The Q400 has had this for a few years. The E175 did NOT, and the jet pilots really wanted it.
(2) Company-provided Health Savings Account contributions increased to pre-COVID levels. The union had a grievance out on this, so it's not really a contractual improvement per se.
(3) Our current 401(k) match of 6% is increased to 8-12%, depending on seniority.
(4) Pay and per diem override for Anchorage trips.
(5) Increased pay override for instructors and check airmen.
(6) Pilots participating in the "Pathways" program are no longer required to hand over all of their employment records to Alaska Air, EXCEPT stuff already required by PRIA.
It's a decent LOA, but hardly a game changer. It will probably pass.
I'm a mid-senior Q400 pilot. The LOA does very little for me, so I will vote "NO". What I really wanted was more money.
You did not mention the DIRECT contribution of 2%. While this doesn't sound like much, it's remarkable at the regional level.
The commuter benefits have improved, but still among the worst in the industry.
When I was on the Dash, I thought 4.2 on the Embraer was just jet pilot whining. The inefficiencies of the E trips is astonishing. 3-4 Deadheads PER TRIP, 30 hour overnights the norm, 11 days off per bid the norm. The days ARE easier than the 4 leg/4 airplane swap/4 hour SEA sit life on the Q, but the overall QOL is worse. 4.2 will help fix the trips.
Based on what I'm hearing, I disagree on the probability of passing. Everybody wanted more money.