You need to be spreading the word if you believe that... I'm talking myself hoarse and have shown a number of people how this is a candy coated turd.

 

Again another insult to this pilot group. How many years of training and operating experience did it take meet the hiring qualifications for a major airiline? Here is the current opinion of us -

"No ex-Pat packages are being offered. Companies do ex-Pat packages to send people with unique skills to places they do not want to go. Unfortunately, we are not particularly unique (at least skill-wise) and we do a voluntary bid. FedEx has some ex-Pat employees in various positions and the CDG and HKG Chief Pilots will be offered ex-Pat deals. It’s all about special jobs."

So a bean counter accountant gets an ex-pat package for doing 2+2 and a pilot flying a multi-million dollar aircraft gets squat.

Still a HUGE NO for me!!!

 

Another huge personal insult. Sorry I had two kids! I thought I was being responsible by not having 6!!

"Schooling is not included because children and education are personal choices. Pilots in the U.S. spend similar amounts on their children’s education, thus providing schooling for the HKG and CDG domiciles was not reasonable, even though the options are more limited. If you have a passel of kids, it will cost a lot of bucks to educate them in private school. We are still verifying if home-schooling is an option. Public schools are available but in the native language, although there are some secondary language curriculums."

 

It is not just the money, they will not get into a good international school unless FEDEX sponsors them.

 

JL made some good points with what appear to honest answers. The only problem is they aren't the right answers to have this pass. School aide has to be a part of this and some more housing allowance. No STV.

A no vote from me still.

 

My personal choice is to stay on the 27, so this bid does not directly affect me. However, my personal choice will be a big fat

 

The following was written by a SFS FO to the latest jetflyer email. Her points are extremely pertinent and something everyone should head when contemplating the LOA.

Beginning of quote:

I want to correct this misperception. Any kind of a COLA (Cost Of
Living Allowance) or HOA (Housing Allowance) is not a BENEFIT -- rather,
it is an OFFSET for the inconvenience, frustrations, and, believe it or
not, hardships of living overseas. MEM/ANC/LAX pilots need to disabuse
themselves of the notion that FDA pilots might be getting something
extra to the detriment of those who choose not to live overseas. Spotty
medical care, problems with medical coverage, unlicensed electricians,
hard-to-find appliance repairmen of unknown skill, corrupt petty
bureaucrats who have the power to make our lives miserable (and do,
sometimes) -- this is just a fraction of what we deal with, not to
mention stratospheric housing costs in a place like HKG. Would you
think a $2,500 housing allowance in a city where a 550-sq.ft. STUDIO
apartment goes for over US$5,000/month is a BENEFIT? It's an insult.
Please, people -- get over the idea that a HOA/COLA stipend is any sort
of a benefit. It is not -- it is an offset in compensation for hardship.

One LEC Vice Chair recently posited that even though comparable housing
in LAX is four times the cost in MEM, the original bid filled quickly,
and they didn't get any kind of HOA/COLA. He implied that ergo, a HKG
domicile should be no different. What he didn't consider is that most
of those people already lived in Calif., many from their Tiger days;
also, people paying a mortgage are building equity. You may be willing
to pay $2,500/mo. on a mortgage, but nobody wants to throw it away on
rent. LAX is also a very easy commute for anybody who wishes to live
someplace else where housing is much cheaper. This is simply not
feasible in HKG.

I would suggest to the Jetflyer, our Union reps, and most pointedly to
our Negotiating Committee, to immediately stop referring to HOA/COLA as
a "benefit". As soon as the Company hears the word "benefit" then, by
definition, they do not want to give it to us. It is an offset and an
obligation.


End of quote.

Living in a foreign country to make MONEY (we're not saving lives here) for out company shouldn't put any hardship on the individual. The company is making a profit off our labor. If they can't adequately cover the extra costs of living in that country than we shouldn't be forced to go there, even for a day.

Vote NO!

FJ

 

....................

 

Don't worry about ME spreading the word....worry about our 'UNION' doing what they think is 'best' for us and the 4800 pilot's that just got JL's email saying vote yes!

I'm talking to all the pople I can. MY MEC NO LONGER SPEAKS FOR ME!!

 

Look, this LOA sucks, but not because of the MEC--because we the crew force continue to pick up DP's, continue to pick up Make Up, continue to let the company degrade all the lines to the point of non-commutibility, voted overwhelmingly to approve a weak at best contract.

The Union can only negotiate successfully if we put them in a position to negotiate successfully. Now, having said that, why they voted nearly overwhelmingly to support it still boggles me...

This LOA sucks, but I don't think we need to bash the union when the company is to blame!