Substitution for training
 

I just had my CMV1 with EFB and Recurrent Ground School earlier this month, and it looks like we no longer have pay protection (sub) for a trip dropped for training. I had a 6 day trip (worth 30 hours) dropped for the first three days of training (worth 13.5 hours). During the View/Add window there was nothing that fit even close to the original trip that was legal to fly so now I'm out the doe. From what Planning is telling me we gave substitution away in this case for the new contract yet there is a provision for it in section 25.H and Section 4.I.4.b. The compay is saying it is suppose to be treated as a Phase in Conflict now.

I did not protect min days off and I waived my intl. duty buffer for March.

Can anyone enlighten me more on this dilema?

You are correct. Training conflicts are now handled as drops. I just got bit by this also. Your only recourse is to pick up a makeup trip during the conflict resolution window. This change in the contract is a net loss or a giveback for more senior pilots who under the old system could force the company to pay sometimes 6 or more credit hours per day for training through protection of min days off and careful bidding. It appears that the devil is in the details or at least FedEx's interpretation of the details in this contract change.

DOH! Thanks for the heads up.
Sorry about your luck. But this is something that I didn't realize and was just about to bite me... :eek:

And there is nothing in open time to make it up with except disputed pairings.

I wrote about this a couple weeks ago....basically you are going to work extra the number of days you are in training, 5 extra days in LAX, if you want to keep your BLG and NO ONE in the union or company said anything about this other than "read the contract".
I was on the phone with John Hunt for 30 minutes trying to tell him SOMEONE needs to explain these little "subtle" changes that are much larger than anyone let on. What are the next ones we find out about?

Wow... Thanks for the post. I am bidding training for April and was about to fail bidding.

In some ways I think it's much better!
 

When you conflict training with a trip. You get to "cherry pick" a make-up trip during the "View Add" Window. You do this before any VTOs are built.

Although not optimum, at least now we have control over recurrent training. Before, if you did not "protect minimum days off" They simply scheduled your training on your days off. If you did protect them. Futures decided which which trips they would drop. If they had dropped to, or wanted to drop a big trip, you pretty much got what they gave you on substitution.

This is actually works out to be great a deal for anyone junior. For example, you conflict an entire 15 day RA block with training. Then build yourself a line with open time during the View Add window. All before the the #1 VTO is ever built!

To each his own, but the bottom line is if you want the BLG of your line and have training, your going to WORK EXTRA for less pay. THAT"S the bottom line.

Ummm, if someone is junior enough that he gets a block of 15 days RA that he didn't want, then he would also be too junior to get the training dates that he wants.

If he is senior enough to bid that block of RA and conflict a training event with it, he was probably senior enough to get something good in the first place.

One of the downsides of this is that if you want reserve, but can't bid the training dates you want, you will be forced to pick up trips instead of stand reserve.

What happens if you can't make up the CH that were dropped? You make less money? That's a bad deal too. I really never understood what the advantage of this change was to the crew-force.

Not Really,

Guys bidding about 90-92 % can hold a block of 15 RA days but no lines and bottom VTOs. They can probably get a training period somwhere in that block with a real nice 0500 show.

Granted this is an extreme example, but it runs the spectrum. At my relative seniority (70%) I can usually get a line with a Good trip, and Not so good trip. I nuke the bad one with recurrent , and then try an add a good one on either side of my training and limit my commutes. Or maybe I bid the block of RA and "Cherry pick" The HNL-SYD-SFS trip.

Yes, under the old system, You could "protect min days off" and get your substitution and retain your exact BLG. Training pay is now 4+30. So yes, if you do nothing you will lose 3CH or more, than under the old system. But your training and substitution where at the whim of futures. Training could be scheduled anytime other than vacation.

I'm not saying it's perfect, but it does have some advantages.