Over 60? Will you work for $800/mo?
 

The figures are just approximate--if over 60 do your own calculations! Current min BLG of 68/85 = 901 hrs or about $212k for WB Capt. If min BLG goes to 48/60 = 636 hrs or about $150k. Subtract SS of about 7% = $10k then your pay is $140k. Most WB Capts with 25 years will see a retirement check of $130k (no SS withheld from retirement monies). Will you honestly work for about $800/mo. Really?? Sit down and truly evaluate your own situation. Tell me why my calculations are wrong?

Does anyone actually know how many of us "over 60" guys actually have 25 years or more with the company?

"Does anyone actually know how many of us "over 60" guys actually have 25 years or more with the company?"

Does anyone actually know how many of you "over 60" guys have been receiving a full military retirement, complete with medical, to augment your pay since you were hired here? Does anyone actually know how many "over 60's" stayed in the military for a full retirement and then expected to get 25 years at an airline to boot? Just how much does an retired 0-5 or 0-6 get a year in retirement compensation on top of your FedEx pay? As I said before, there may be a small minority of guys with less than 25 here who didn't get a full retirement elsewhere first, but guys like you JJ shouldn't be looking for sympathy for the choice you made to stay in and not try for the airlines without a retirement to fall back on if it didn't work out. You are very lucky to have been hired here at all IMO since military retirees were never hired before the mid 80's. Again, I appreciate your service to our country, just I am sure you appreciate mine. Anyone with a full military retirement that was able to get in some quality years at FedEx before Age 60 shouldn't be looking for sympathy IMO. Being grateful that they were lucky enough to keep flying after retiring from the military and be paid very well for it should suffice.

Hey mcbirdman,

Although I agree with your logic (I've said on this forum MANY times that I'll NEVER understand why someone with 25 years at FedEx would continue to work?), you're basing your assumptions on WB Capt. pay. We have geniuses that have been working for 727 s/o pay? I figure at that pay, they're working for FREE. In other words, they are making just about the same pay as if they stayed home and collected their hard earned retirement. :eek:

Like I said, I just don't get it? Don't those guys have anything better to do with their retirement? And yes, it now looks like their selfishness will affect ALL of us as we are forced to lower our monthly BLG so that those guys can keep working? YGTBSM!*?


Mark

Yes. All that were hired before December of 1982, and have not had their YOS stopped for any reason (personal leave, etc.)

Wanted to just say yes - but hit that 10 character limit issue.

[
You are very lucky to have been hired here at all IMO since military retirees were never hired before the mid 80's.

COLD MAN COLD..................;)

Thanks for your very good answer. However, I again ask: Does anyone actually know how many of us "over 60" guys actually have 25 years or more with the company?

Just so I don't have to repeat myself, check here: http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/sh...225#post289225

I'll tell you guys one thing, I'm glad I have decided to hangout in the Guard well past 20 years because of the industry that we have chosen for our lively-hood is in constant flux no matter where you happen to work. Am I worried about FedEx "No", Do I think I'll be furloughed, "No" Do I think that our BLG will be cut to 60/48 "No". Did I think that age 65 would pass "yes" this fast "No", can I control it "No". Do I plan on going past 60 "Not likely" since commuting sucks, and after 28 years of that I think I'll be happy to not worry about commuting any longer. Personally, if I was wealthy enough to quit today without compromising my QOL, I'd have my two weeks in already. But in the end, I will be glad to have the choice whether I stay or not to 65. Would I stay on the panel, "Heck NO!"

However, with all that said, I still think that staying past 60 is a personal choice now that the law has changed. I know it has effectively slowed my career progression, but I can't control that. I just have to set my life up the best that I can with the Guard and the Airline together. If someone is lucky enough to have both an Active duty retirement coming in for many years as well as a healthy airline pension to look forward to I say "Good On Ya!" nice job setting yourself up for the future because in the end no one especially your fellow airline pilot friend is going to look out for you after you're gone from the company.

As a profession we really need to shift our focus from each other to a system where we have more control over our careers and profession like other associations of professionals do. We need to be involved with the supply and demand of pilots more, and get that out of the hands of non-pilots types "Management/ Government". That is how we will make our lives better for all of us.

Ramble...........I know.

Not a ramble at all, well said, actually...I have been screwed by two MEC's and know firsthand that there is only one pilot that cares about your job and that's you. If anyone thinks that people are voting on a contract or work rules changes because it helps you or "the profession" more than it helps them, you are sadly mistaken. The only pilots that I can think of that are into helping others are those that fly missionaries/doctors around in third world countries and they are probably more interested in helping "the needy" than their fellow pilots.

Face it, the only way you can really help you out is by becoming a member of your MEC or some other similar position. You can volunteer to help those folks and/or help distribute information but other than that, make sure you vote on your contracts and/or TA's (or whatever your company calls it). If all else fails, Wal-Mart is always hiring...funny, no matter how crappy the pay, QOL, schedule, gripes, etc., most of us will fly a 747 for $25/hr before we go to work at McD's or Wal-Mart (I know, I'm probably one of those guys too!), do you think management knows that and that's why they continue to scr&w pilots? So, the short answer to the thread, is yes, alot of folks will work for $800/mo, albeit not quite the way it was proposed in the original question. To work for $140k/yr when I could pull in $130k (or even 75k) in retirement is not even an option for me, I love getting paid to be at home, that's why I used to bid reserve even as a very senior f/o. Just my two cents...ok, that was a ramble ;-)

I count six, (6).

I don't know how many there are but I do know one very vocal former Captain in LAX who was at a recent LEC meeting (and brought his wife!!) to complain about, and I quote, "I've paid 30 years of dues to ALPA, the least you can do is allow me to keep flying". I talked to him quite a bit - he was a former Tiger with a total of about 35 years flying in the 2 companies I believe - no children at home, no colleges to pay, plenty of money (his own words) who wanted to work as a Captain because "you just never know - it never hurts to have a little more money in the bank, because you just never know". Those are his words. I've been a bit tainted by that experience and wonder how many guys are just like him (yes he's riding the panel right now and will be back up front first chance he gets).

One word "Campinas"

They will fly for FREE!!!

Propwash

How many are free loaders?

Well, your question was the rhetorical "Does anyone actually know...". That answer is simple - yes.

Now, if you really just asking the quantitative 'how many', you need to either contact one of those folks that know (you know, management, personnel, benefits, most of us here on this board....), or have some way of knowing everyone's birth date and date of hire.

I guess that information actually used to be available to everyone.

How safe is that pension?
 

Is that $130k per year (or the lump-sum equivalent) in the pilot's own name and held by an insured outside financial institution, or just a debt owed to him by the airline? If the former, then retirement would be safe and sensible. If the latter, some pilots may be reluctant to count on it, after what happened at major pax carriers (many of which were also financially sound a few years ago). Once you retire, you can't come back, even if your pension is slashed.

Are you serious? Really? How many of the original guys were actually civilian? Not very many.

The latter.

hmmm sounds like an AFLAC duck moment to me...

He said military retirees. FedEx did not start having to hire non-military pilots until they ran out of qualified military guys.

Most of the original FDX guys could not get hired at a "real" airline, due to their age. Originally, guys used their GI bill money to pay FDX for their falcon training. $9,000, I think. Then, they got hired.

So, I would surmise that most, if not all, of the original FDX guys were ex-military.

The key word is retired. In the not too recent past, if you were not hired by a major airline by 30-35, it just was not going too happen. Average age of a military retiree is 42?

I would have asked that LAX Captain if he is so worried about money, why are you living in the worst tax state in the union?

Where would you suggest he move to?:confused: The best place too live is where it feels like home.
fbh

Understood but if the SOB is worried about money he sure as heck picked the wrong state.

Why did they wait until they ran out of qual. mil. guys. ? Was curious if there is a link between FDX's actions and the high number of military pilot's hired at UPS especially in the last 10 years.

Thanks,

FF