We may not agree on all that much, but on this...I'm willing to raise a toast. Here's hoping we don't F it up. (yeah...we'll probably F it up)

 

From the March 2013 NAC update:

"APA $87 million valuations – The APA has completed the valuation phase of negotiations on how to apply the $87 million of annual contract improvements. If you recall during the roadshows, we presented how the APA intended to apply the $87 million and stated that the allocation was subject to change once the final valuation process was complete. During the valuation phase, APA received the most current information on projected training events, distance learning requirements, overall block hour projections and scheduling assumptions. After reaching agreement on valuations with updated data, two items from the original APA Board guidance did not make the final list of improvements. The APA Board of Directors was presented with three scenarios, which the AA and US managements had agreed met the valuation target. To meet the agreed-upon valuation, the APA Board decided to forego the originally proposed 30 months of pay protection and the 1:3.25 additional trip rig for pairings with more calendar days than duty periods. With these two items removed from the list, there was some value left over, which when reallocated, resulted in higher per diem rates than those in the original proposal. The revised per diem rates for domestic and international operations are:

Old Rates New Rates

2014 - $2.10/$2.30 to $2.10/$2.40

2015 - $2.20/$2.50 to $2.25/$2.75

2016 - $2.20/$2.50 to $2.30/2.80

2017 - $2.25/$2.60 to $2.30/2.80

2018 - $2.30/$2.70 to $2.30/2.80"

It wasn't nearly as good as the west long rate, but would have helped the sub 15 hour 3 days.

 

You seem like a pretty reasonable guy. Outside of the Nic we'd probably agree on a lot of things.

This looks like LOA 93 again. Years later and the RC4 and giveaway gang are still laying blame.

Happy New Year to you.

 

One thing the current proposal doesn't have in common with LOA 93 is that LOA 93 came with terribly weak language to provide post-amendable date 3% annual raises. The terribly weak language got mixed up with the restoration arbitration and never truly got tested. Regardless, no 3% raises ever came. In the absence of any Merger no 3% raise was ever coming, and a new contract covering east and west would still be years away.

At least the new proposal that's about to break free from the BOD's control doesn't take any chances on weak post-amendable date pay raise language. It simply dispenses with any language whatsoever. There will be no post-amendable date pay raises. Now I'm sure it won't be an issue, I have no doubt that Doug won't drag out Section 6 negotiations for Contract 2020. Even though their first and most important labor relations tool to date is delay.

Also, as if contract details matter, LUS reserve pilots will no longer be able to move days off out of a vacation block. Enjoy all that extra MOU vacation which they just made disappear. I'm sure when PBS hits a reserve pilot will be able to claw back some days. But even then the 1 week of reserve vacation which meant 19 days off that month previously at LUS, will only mean 15 days off that month.

Oh the things that can be missed when staring only at the pay rate.

 

I spoke to the APA guys about the vacation issue, as well as some friends at AA and we're not supposed to lose the vacation days. The way it's supposed to work (and apparently this is how it's been at American for a while) is you can't move your days off outside your vacation week, but you're not supposed to get charged vacation for the days that fall on what would be considered a duty-free period. So if you have 3 days that fall within your vacation week, you're only supposed to get charged 4 days from your vacation bank.

It's not as good as being able to slide your days out of the week, but at least you don't lose vacation days. Now, after talking to our LUS scheduling supervisor, they didn't seem aware of that...they acted as though you just lose that time. I'm going to keep an eye on my vacation bank and if I'm charged for 7 then I'm going to talk to APA about getting the two days off back (I had two fall within my week in January).

Also...reading in the MTA it says we're supposed to get a 3.5 to 1 rig for off-duty periods in between our duty periods (I'm assuming that means a layover). What's that all about?

And if APA traded the aforementioned 1:3.25 rig away for more per diem to pass the MTA, then whether we vote for or against any potential new TA with increased pay rates in January still won't really change that reality. Even if we all vote no and go to arbitration and "stick to the Green Book", if that did happen as described above (traded the rig for per diem), then we still won't have that rig since it's not in the current Green Book (i.e., the MTA).

 

I can find no language in the MTA that supports what you describe above for reserve pilot vacation. Rest assured that vacation will be managed by the company in it's favor to the extreme. By the sounds of it, scheduling hasn't yet got the memo and it looks like you'll make out better than you probably should for January. By next January, there will be 2 other off days outside of your vacation block which will become duty days. Section 15... if you are only available for 24 days, you only get 9 off in those 24 days.

While you are right that the rigs will be in the Green Book as-is if we all vote no and go to arbitration, it is also true that the items the Company wants to get rid of will still be there too. That is what should be leveraging and motivating a negotiation. Unfortunately negotiations ended when APA fell for Doug's siren song almost 3 years ago.

 

Yes, exactly. The company is buying concessions they cannot get in arbitration, but concessions that they can get by bedazzling and scarring the membership directly... if we don't sell cheep then Parker will be back to buy those items regardless of the bs lies he is telling.

There is a reason Kirby wrote a letter directly to the membership to get past the BOD. The BOD wasn't selling cheep even as split and divided as it was. Kirby ignited a mob.

We see this every time, and yet the "leaders" never can get ahead of it... Even worse, some are obviously complicit.

 

Guys make this way too complicated. We are arguing about what the concessions are or aren't.... But the fact is we are going to sell regardless...

The only real issue is how much will Parker pay to get them.... From a union it would be industry standard cost, from a mob in disunity it will be cheap. Very cheap, much cheaper than Delta.

 

You cannot sell what has already been sold PT.

You seem to be one of the "bring them to their knees!" Set. Why you haven't figured out that won't happen is beyond me.

 

Yup. From the beginning it was only a matter of time. Parker's initial counter would be sweetened slightly reeling in a portion of pilots and then an ultimatum would materialize snagging more. At that point, all they had to do was go directly to those reel in to pressure the BOd and wa'la........a busted union.

That's what Jerry does.

2020 will just be Groundhog Day for AA pilots.