DC8 Driver

And for me as well. Cheers.

scrupulous

Agreed. One of the few cards we hold. Waiting to see how this ExCo squanders it.

JonnyKnoxville

Yeah, we know because that is what you do best. Sit on the sidelines and talk a big game. I know, I know, you practically are the only reason a union even exists at Atlas Air to begin with, you know, with your vast union work. Your participation trophy room must be impressive.

ACMItrash

Is atlas management intentionally throwing out big numbers to make potential new hire recruits think that there is going to be this great contract sometime soon to rope them in as a crutch to try to prop up the airline Staffing?

dwight3

Looks like it. And for some reason the union is repeating all of these absurd claims about how the company plans on getting new planes and hiring hundreds of new pilots which does not help our cause whatsoever since the clear intentions of these claims are to keep the current pilots here and to hire more pilots while still paying their pilots the lowest wages in the industry.

Fillmore Slim

But it was said at the Check Airman meeting, so it must be true! Management has never lied to us before.......

DC8DRIVER

Really???

Right out of the gate on your very first post you are going to trash the union and their tactics?? That's a pretty bold statement for a new guy unless you're really just one of the old union haters with a brand new name.

The union knows what they aer doing. Normal negotiations take years and negotiations at Atlas are anything but normal. Everyone wants this nightmare over yesterday but wishing for that ain't going to get it done.

If you disagree with the union tactics, get involved and lead from the inside. Throwing rocks from behind the bushes is cowardly.

ACMItrash

It's comical how negotiations have been going on for years and there are still a handful of pilots that show up to class thinking they are getting in on something great. Lol

Can someone at atlas explain reassignment?

How about the reserve life?

dwight3

You tell me: Why is the union helping to spread obviously bogus info - originating from management - about great things coming? If great things were actually coming we would've been in Section 6 negotiations months ago.

You don't have to get all personal. I sincerely have no clue why the union is doing this and would love to hear a good answer.

DC8DRIVER

Reassignment refers to the fact that the flying line that you bid for and are awarded is not the sequence of trips that you will fly. The general footprint may remain the same, but depending on fleet and base, you will be flying somewhere between 0 and 90% of the trips that were on your original bid line. The 747 DHL trips seem to hold up for the first couple of legs and then fall apart once you're out there. Schedules at other bases fall apart more quickly.

"Reserve" at Atlas is completely unlike reserve at a "normal" airline. Atlas reserve pilots (at least on the 74) do not sit reserve. They fly. They are used more than 90% of the time. IF you get the 76 in CVG, you might sit more than that but some of it will be while you enjoy quality hub time at the airport (76 guys can fill in more here).

The problem has been around for a long, long time. You see, back in the first days at Atlas, they were badly understaffed. Then, one day, a pilot called in sick while on the road. Well, they pulled a pilot from another trip to cover that flight, but then needed to cover HIM as well, so they pulled a THIRD pilot from yet a third flight to cover the guy that was covering the first guy.

And they NEVER got caught up. It's been that way ever since and there's no sign of it ever stopping.

Atlas is chronically short of pilots because few pilots want to work under these conditions and most of the ones that are here want to leave (and ARE leaving - about 200 a year hit the door).