So did ALPA get a notification about the new uniforms or would that have to wait until Q1 next year when they announce the final pieces?

 

Excellent question for your local rep. They’ll have the best info as well.

 

Wait. You guys have to pay for your own uniforms when THEY change them!!!!??? That’s... wow. I didn’t know that.

 

.........Kasher

 

BOHICA! Ugh.

 

We had to buy our uniforms before Kasher.
Although he certainly took just about everything of value away from us, he had nothing to do with pilots paying for their uniforms.


I can't remember exactly now, but I think my new hire B scale pay rate was $26 hr. I remember having my first uniform pay role deducted for over a year until it was all paid for.


Good times. Good times.

 

I just like to joke that it’s usually the first reason given by the ambivalently frustrated/disengaged that things are bad and nothing can ever change. It’s like “Thanks Obama” or “Trump”.

 

Have the LAX based pilots had to pay for their uniforms as well? Some debate from the VX guys about California based crews having their uniforms paid for due to state labor laws.

 

Washington has a similar law. I have asked the powers that be at ALPA in the past but it went nowhere. Not sure about CA, but Washington requires companies to purchase uniforms for employees as long as it is only generic specifications and not something special. I think that is why in the past we were never really required to purchase our uniforms from a specific supplier, last time I checked (a long time ago) our FOM still only has generic descriptions of the uniform pieces. Maybe the fact that we have new designer pieces will kick in the Washington law.

As far as ALPA goes, ALPA won't tell you this, but they are our contract administrator so they are not enthusiastic about using parts of the law that fall outside our contract. To be honest, I am a little burnt out. But if anybody wants to grab the flag and run here is a place to start.

https://www.lni.wa.gov/WorkplaceRigh...cies/esc81.pdf

Here is info on some upcoming cases in California that could be important.

https://www.employmentclassactionrep...ly-california/

 

A CBA under federal rules (ie RLA) supersedes state law in this case. Basically assumption is if employees didn't want to pay for uniforms they wouldn't have agreed to it in the CBA.

Example, at SKW, no union, no CBA, so company has to pay for uniforms for CA employees (so they do that for everyone). But that's probably not the smartest way to get the company to buy your uniforms...