Why is this such an incredble thing?

What is wrong with working extra?

Is that not an individual's right?

Sure, that's an individual's right.

But, you have to know that when we're trying to negotiate a contract...The company pulls all the vacation buyback data out and tells us that we obviously have too much vacation. As, most of us don't even use it. That takes precious negotiating capital, that we could be using on VEBA and retirement benefits.

By the way...there are lots of things that are our right. Flying draft, volunteer or makeup during negotiations. Or, flying DPs, anytime. Our rights are not always right.

IMHO, of course

We arent in negotiations right now.

If the Union allows the company to use such data as a strong arm tactic, I say that's bad on the Union to allow such a simplistic data point to be abused.

It's not an issue of whether the union will "allow" the company to make such an argument, the company WILL make such an argument, and to a mediator/arbitrator, such an argument may be persuasive. This costs us credibility. Choices made while living under one contract, before negotiations start on the next, can either help us or hurt us once we get to those negotiations. Choose wisely.

Here's a different perspective... If you aren't working much on reserve anyway, why not just take 7 rdays off for 7 vacation days and save the extra 1+30 per day till the end of the year. You're still getting vacation days, you're not working anymore than you would have and you get a nice Christmas bonus as well. So why expand your vacation to 10 rdays off, if you weren't going to work them anyway. If the Company tries to use it at contract time you just tell them I had 7 vacation days and I took 7 days off. Am I mssing something here....

Or another for instance. Too junior to hold that 3rd week of vacation at times I actually want to do something. Already getting 13-16 days off every month. The company offers to buy vacation in a month where I have 7 days coming and absolutely no plans (due to wife's job and kid's school) of doing anything. Why not, as long as we're not in negotiations? Or even if there is no buy-back (since SFS Capts are the only ones that have had buy-back for quite a while,) why not bid for minimal trip conflict, and get a big check at the end of the year?

We aren't in negotiations, but our BLG is being trimmed to minimum and seat realignments are in the works.

By not using every hour of vacation, we are unintentionally helping the company reduce their staffing model. This in turn reduces the number of pilots needed. Think of it this way... If every pilot sells back only an average of 10 hours of vacation, this adds up to 47000 hours of flying that is done when we should be out at the lake. It also adds up to about 52 less pilots on the property. My guess is that the average is actually quite a bit higher than 10 hours, but you can see the impact.

I'm not telling anybody what they should do with their vacation. We all have different priorities and needs and will make our decisions accordingly. But, I do think it's important for us all to realize that these decisions do have an impact on others, and not just during negotiations.

Nice first post...

I concur!

If I ever sell a single hour of vacation back, someone shoot me. For that matter, if I ever fly DFT/VLT, MU, carry over, etc... I'll supply the gun. Life is too short.

Certainly. I don't mean to pass judgement on your plans. Although, in your last case you could conflict to get paid for the vacation and then get some m/u on open-time-night and get a big check now as opposed to the end of the year. I don't check every seat, but it seems that there is some decent stuff after VTOs are built, even as overmanned as we are. YMMV.


If you don't live in Memphis not getting used on reserve is still 'working.' But for some this isn't a bad plan