captain_drew

Well. . it was ‘negotiations’ . more or less which got us all this crap. I got a feeling the boys negotiating were ‘fatigued’ and pretty proud of themselves for FINALLY coming up with a TA we could vote on the 1st time around. . . warts and all.

Being that none of them were ‘commuters’ I really don’t think they gave a ‘rat’s arse’ that the folks living outside MEM were getting hosed by some of these little ‘additions’ to the quality of our lives.

There is actually a little ‘friction’ between the Bubbas who reside on The Planet . .and those of us who have chosen to have a better quality of life. Somehow. . the Bubbas don’t think we are as ‘loyal’ an employee as they are. Interestingly enough. . I don’t believe it is the commuters who are the ‘air wh*res’ . . who are making getting a new contract the more difficult.

RedeyeAV8r

Simply put, If your assigned trip does not begin ( 1st leg of 1st duty period)
with a Commerical passenger carrier Dead head then you need to find your own way to MEM...........(or ANC , LAX whichever one is your Assinged Domicile).

Lets use MEM for example because it is the easiest. Below is a humourous but quite accurate example of what your life will be like.

If you live in PHL (your "Staging City) and are Based in MEM......and your next trip is schedule to leave MEM @ 0800Z 11 April............That means you need to be in MEM at 0200lcl this coming Tuesday. For explanation purposes this trip has No commercial Deadhead. It just leaves MEM has a short layover and returns to MEM the next night. Since you live in PHL (remember Staging City) you will (are able to) reserve the FedEx jumpseat 14 days prior.

You will show up at the PHL ramp Monday night around 2000 lcl the 10th.
You will Jumpseat to MEM and arrive approximate 23:45-0030. Once entering the crew room area, you will "Check-in" for your trip. You will then sit in the Crew room........find a Lazy boy lounger if your lucky and nap for an hour or 2.
Then you will start doing pilot stuff after about 3 cups of HI-TEST coffee..............

You will launch to some city around 0300-0345am fly for 2-4hrs (domestic only).....feeling like SH**.! When get to your Destination....... you go to the hotel hopefully before the Sun comes up......still feeling like SH**.(not likely if you are junior). You will try to get some needed sleep, until the Hotel maid ignores the Do Not Disturb sign hung on your door and either Knocks on your door asking if you want towels, or vacumes for about 20 minutes right out side your door. Then the hotel costodian will be drilling the floor right above your room for about the next 2 hours........and then if that isn't enough the local fire marshall comes to preform a fire system test of the Hotel.

After your quality 8 hours of crew rest, you might meet your crew in the lobby around 5:00 PM for dinner.............You return to your room around 6:00-6:30 PM in time for a quick shave,shower and ###. You meet you crew in the Lobby for a 7:30 Pick up to the Ramp.......You do Pilot stuff again and Fly fo 2-4hrs back to MEM arriving around Midnight........and you get to repeat the above ritual all over again for the next 5 days.........Oh did I mention that you will be feeling like SH**.


On your last night into MEM you will sit in the crew room as always but you will catch your Staging Jumpseat flight to PHL arriving at 630am. Then you will get home.feeling like SH** and your wife will say the Upstairs toilet is leaking. You reluctently fix it so she will leave you alone because you need to sleep for a few hours.......................

You quickly get it done, Kiss the wife and say "I see you in a couple hours."
You are sound asleep after 25 minutes. You are soon awoken by the Phone ringing.... and its FedEx crew skeds...........They want to know if your interested in a draft trip leaving tomorrow (actually it leaves tonight.....well at 0300 tomorrow morning)........................... and the saga continues..................the life of a freight dawg

TonyC

I got the impression that the Contract we live under today was not as much negotiated as it was dictated by management. Yeah, I know, there are guys that were there that swear it wasn't that way. Nevertheless, I believe the reason it took as long after the parking lot debacle as it did was after the NMB convinced the Chairman to resign, none of our guys knew shorthand.


Fortunately, this is a new day and a new team.



I've always been a bit amused by the light-hearted (and sometimes not so light-hearted) ribbing that goes on between commuters and non-commuters. I've done both, so I've seen the advantages and disadvantages both ways. The first complaint I recall hearing was that commuters show up for work too tired to fly. Balderdash! My experience has shown that it's a lot harder to get your rest at home in the middle of all the kids and wife and bills and telephone and yardwork and ... well, you know what I mean.

It's very easy for me living in domicile to take the scheduled deadhead. While I think if we all were to do that it would put the Company in a bind, I realize it would be a hardship on commuters. On the other hand, it's a lot easier for commuters to turn down Draft trips. Well, perhaps that's not entirely correct, I have no problem at all saying no. I guess a better way to state it is it's more difficult for commuters to take Draft trips.



Now... about this "Bubba" thing....


We all have our different opinions about lifestyles and locations. I'm a Memphis native and I'm happier here than I would be in, say, Phoenix or Seattle or Miami. There are folks who prefer Seattle, and there are those who prefer Miami, and so on, and so on. Variety is the spice of life, yanno. But I ain't a Bubba. OK, so I drive an '83 Bronco with more rust than most new cars have steel. Big deal! It's paid for.

It's time to focus on what we have in common, and put the petty differences aside. All for one, and one for all.


Two Years Is Too Long ! ! ! !





- The truth only hurts if it should -

TonyC

What time does the trip leave?

Where does it go?

How long is the layover?

When does it get back?

Who's the Captain/First Officer/Second Officer?

What's the Credit Hours?

Tell me again what the show time is in local time, please?

And what's the trip number?

Oh, no, I'm afraid I can't take that. But thanks for calling. Have a nice morning.


... Log on to VIPS with Trip number and see how long it takes for someone to .... I'll leave the verb out here ... themself.







- The truth only hurts if it should -

RedeyeAV8r

I believe the verb is to "Prostitue themselves"

FedEx1

I guess I have never noticed any friction between the Memphites and the rest of the world, but I do have a small pet peeve I guess. If you are going to commute in and then turn directly into your 3 am hub turn out bound, don't be all crabby to the rest of us and complain how tired you are- the rest of us came in early enough to sleep in the crash pad or live here. And if you commute in, don't go taking a sleep room away from a full hub turner. That one really gets me.

But how can I blame any of you that want to live anywhere else but here in the Planet?? And it's nice to have friends to get out of town to go visit.

RedeyeAV8r

FedEx1

What is the really the difference between J/S ing in to a trip and Hubturning?
Its OK to be tired and fatigued when you are Hubturning but is not when you just jumpseated in??

From my own experience as a guy that has done both (I lived in MEM for several years and have commuted for several)
As far as domestic is concerned..............I often felt better rested prior to a trip by Jumpseating in........My J/S flight would arrive approx 1145PM and I'd grab a Sleep chair and if I was lucky I got almost a 3 hour Nap. When I lived in MEM, I would try to go to bed early 8PM or so.......but would toss and turn until 10-1030PM (my normal Bed time) ...then I would wake up every so often and peer at the clock (Clock watcher) until Midnight. Then I'd perform the "SSS" routine and drive to work..............I would arrive at the AOC around 1:45am much less rested than my commuter counterpart who is still in the sleep chair.........and had been for the last 2 hours.

International can be a different story..........although if you Know in advance you are going to be the 1st sleeper (especially with a crew rest aircraft) the above still applies......even though it is a No No per the contract.

Being very tired while flying is just a fact of life at FedEx no matter who you are.
There are always the 1% that push things..........hopefully that is who you were referring to.

FedEx1

If you commute in, you are not entitled to a sleep room. But please make yourself welcome in the lazy boy room. Commuting is not a paid trip in. You MAY be able to get some zzz's on the commute in, while working guys can't. So they get the rooms.

Fatigue isn't ok- I wasn't implying that. If you will be too tired after the commute to fly your trip, then come in early. This is why the company had to crack down on guys jumping in right before the non stop to NRT and other long duty periods. They were simply too tired, and didn't have the proper rest.

I don't get a sleep room, either, living in MEM- unless I am turning in the hub, working both ways. BECAUSE I AM NOT WORKING. Therefore, commuters don't get them either... because they aren't working (both ways.) Whether it be jumpseating in, or driving in- both take time and wakeful periods- and neither are entitled to sleep rooms.

You never know if you are going to be the first sleeper on a long haul. Even if you are the PIC- stuff comes up, things change. I worked a flight where one of the RFO's emailed the captain the day before and asked what the sleep schedule was going to be. The captain told him he didn't know that far in advance. The guy called in sick. Probably a good iodea, he probably wasn't going to be rested.

Since you said you take a chair, I wasn't speaking to you. I was speaking of the sleep rooms.

RedeyeAV8r

Concur with the Sleep room ettiquette. Wroking Pilots hould have priority.

My point was with the J/S ing into a trip.......................I am better rested (usually) when I jumpseat into a night hub turn than when I lived in MEM and drove to work. This is not true for Day Hub-turns.

AS for the long international trips, J/S turn option is a moot point because it is a contractual No No. That being said I always try to email the Relief crews (or answer their emails) for the sleep periods on the long hauls .....MEM-NRT, CDG-SFS and KIX-MEM. But as you say, SH** happens and everyone needs to be flexible............99% of the time everyone is!

Unfortunately I am still tired most all the time.

Twiceskunkeddog

Would a Midnight to noon reserve guy (I can never keep it straight, A or B) coming in a little early and getting a sleep room not cool either?

And are those guys supposed to be at the AOC or does the 2 hour call-out apply?

Thanks,

TSD