Originally Posted by
Mem9guy
First bring the DC-9 (will now be a 125 seater with the parking of the 30's and 40's,) MD-88, MD-90, 320/319, 737 700/800, all into one tier based on the current 737 rates.
Next tier would be the 757/7ER tier based on current 767 pay.
Finally a widebody tier for the 767-400, 330, 777, 787, 747 based on 747 pay rates.
Coupled with good international and redeye types of overides.
We felt that this would do several things for our pay system:
Reduce training cycles as there would be less chasing of payrates.
Provide marketing with the ability to plan routes with labor costs being less variable. Planners love "fixed costs"
Help to move us from a pay system that was set up to maximize "final average earnings" in the last 5 years for a pension based retirement to a system that gives a more steady increase over the average career to fit the current defined contribution system that favors "time value of money" for retirement.
Only three aircraft types to discuss at the negotiating table as all others would slot into one of these.
Its an idea. If you look at the 767/757 fleet alone you see a wide variety of seating configurations and range capabilities but all the same rate plus an international override.
So why not put the 95, 88, 90, 737, 738, 319 and 320 together?
Now, honestly I look at the 737 every once in a while and consider wanting to go to it for the pay and trips. But if I got paid the same, it'd take years before I'd want to bid off my beloved Maddog.
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Has anyone head Satch's ELT going off? He evidently went missing. Or does nobody listen to guard? Hmmm? Annoying frequency? Too much guard police driving you nuts? Too many false calls. ATC searching for planes getting old? Cessna being intercepted in a TFR bor... wait, no, that was interesting to listen to. Went on for half an hour until the fighter pulled up on their wing and checked in. I had a buddy at Coex flying an ATR-42-320 (slow model of a slow plane) and got intercepted at random a month after 9/11. For fun they pulled the power down by half just to watch the F16 adjust. Some people are funny.