Chairmans mesasage
07-17-2007, 02:18 PM
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Chairmans mesasage
In the latest message from DW, he gives his opinion on the LOA. I would like to make a few comments concerning his email.
He states.... "It is important to understand that this LOA will be an additive to our current contract. That means that our current work rules, pay, healthcare, etc all apply in the FDA’s" I would argue that our current work rules do not apply with the terms of the LOA. The current rules say that the SIG has to approve any surface DH more than 2 hours. The LOA change concerning the transportation from HKG-CAN is a give back to the company. Not all givebacks are a bad thing, but I believe this one is. And, how is that transportation figure into our duty time, and how is it going to be implemented?
Next he says...."As a result, the overseas pilot will pay taxes at a level as if they were based in the US". If you have foreign earned income, you get a tax break from Uncle Sam, and therefore DONT pay taxes at the same level as you do in the US; you pay less. I am not sure how the tax equalization addresses that.
Then he says...."However, with ratification of the LOA, the current FDA relocation package remains an option". Maybe the relocation package does, but the current rules concerning an FDA in the CBA do not! The LOA takes many things away from our "current option" that no longer makes it our current option. Our current option lets us bid out of an FDA whenever we want.....with penalties. The new current option seems to be for three years. There are also other things that are now in the CBA that are given away in the new "current option" Their "current options" is a misnomer, at best.
When DW says... "Scope enhancements exist in this LOA as well", I feel the enhancements are all in the Companies favor. At present, all pilots in an FDA are covered by our CBA. I think this LOA "tying operations in these new FDA’s to our contract and, by extension, the RLA" is pretty much what we have. What it does do is it gets rid of the ambiguity for the company that French labor laws might apply to us.
"The amount of the allowances contained in this LOA was intended to provide the overseas pilots with additional income to offset, not eliminate, their obligations. We will have ample opportunities in the future to evaluate whether the benefits are appropriate and, if we find they are not, to take whatever actions and assume whatever risks we collectively feel are reasonable to resolve the circumstance" I certainly do not think that, if ratified, the terms of this LOA can be negotiated "up" when negotiations start on the next CBA. At least not the aspects of the LOA that have a detrimental affect on our crewmembers but at the same time are good for the Company. Why would they want to give anything back in the next negotiations?
I acknowledge the work that the NC put into this LOA, but I do think that it is substandard in many ways, and most certainly,as far as our worth is concerned. It would have been nice if the Union AND the Company would have foreseen many of the questions that has arisen concerning this LOA, and put in print answers to those questions. That would not have been very difficult to do. There are too many unknowns.....along with too many things that I think are just plain not good. Just my own opinion, coming from a perspective of familiarity with being at an FDA and working under our CBA.
He states.... "It is important to understand that this LOA will be an additive to our current contract. That means that our current work rules, pay, healthcare, etc all apply in the FDA’s" I would argue that our current work rules do not apply with the terms of the LOA. The current rules say that the SIG has to approve any surface DH more than 2 hours. The LOA change concerning the transportation from HKG-CAN is a give back to the company. Not all givebacks are a bad thing, but I believe this one is. And, how is that transportation figure into our duty time, and how is it going to be implemented?
Next he says...."As a result, the overseas pilot will pay taxes at a level as if they were based in the US". If you have foreign earned income, you get a tax break from Uncle Sam, and therefore DONT pay taxes at the same level as you do in the US; you pay less. I am not sure how the tax equalization addresses that.
Then he says...."However, with ratification of the LOA, the current FDA relocation package remains an option". Maybe the relocation package does, but the current rules concerning an FDA in the CBA do not! The LOA takes many things away from our "current option" that no longer makes it our current option. Our current option lets us bid out of an FDA whenever we want.....with penalties. The new current option seems to be for three years. There are also other things that are now in the CBA that are given away in the new "current option" Their "current options" is a misnomer, at best.
When DW says... "Scope enhancements exist in this LOA as well", I feel the enhancements are all in the Companies favor. At present, all pilots in an FDA are covered by our CBA. I think this LOA "tying operations in these new FDA’s to our contract and, by extension, the RLA" is pretty much what we have. What it does do is it gets rid of the ambiguity for the company that French labor laws might apply to us.
"The amount of the allowances contained in this LOA was intended to provide the overseas pilots with additional income to offset, not eliminate, their obligations. We will have ample opportunities in the future to evaluate whether the benefits are appropriate and, if we find they are not, to take whatever actions and assume whatever risks we collectively feel are reasonable to resolve the circumstance" I certainly do not think that, if ratified, the terms of this LOA can be negotiated "up" when negotiations start on the next CBA. At least not the aspects of the LOA that have a detrimental affect on our crewmembers but at the same time are good for the Company. Why would they want to give anything back in the next negotiations?
I acknowledge the work that the NC put into this LOA, but I do think that it is substandard in many ways, and most certainly,as far as our worth is concerned. It would have been nice if the Union AND the Company would have foreseen many of the questions that has arisen concerning this LOA, and put in print answers to those questions. That would not have been very difficult to do. There are too many unknowns.....along with too many things that I think are just plain not good. Just my own opinion, coming from a perspective of familiarity with being at an FDA and working under our CBA.
