Originally Posted by higney85

You start dealing with differing viewpoints in the idea of working below days off. Since when does a union police its own pilots? The union works to protect the pilots as a whole from what the company can do individually and raise the bar of the group as a whole. Who is to decide what guys can pick up? The idea of "staffing concerns" is better controlled with limiting how much open time is allowed to begin with as lines are created before anything even becomes an option to "pick up". Look at past precedent.. All limiting open time pickups will do is force 95 hour lines on everyone and the reserves to be fully utilized. You want to give up days off you bid for and would normally hold but you were given "forced flying" at straight time because you fear someone else may have been able to pick it up at a premium? The company has never been properly staffed, "forcing their hand" comes with consequences that need to be fully analyzed with all applicable sections entwined.

I personally do NOT support picking up open time as a standard practice, but I also don't think any pilot should make personal financial decisions for any other pilot. If someone needs the money, what pilot has the right to say "no, you aren't allowed!?". We work to limit what the company can do to the pilots, even when working an open time trip pilots are still covered by the contract.

Who is the bigger enemy- pilots against pilots or pilots against management?