FDX -- When will the MEC and NC grow a PAIR?
 

MEC and NC and Fellow Line Pilots,

The implementation of 48/60 by the company had BETTER get your attention in a HUGE WAY -- if you think this is no big deal, then you are officially christened an IDIOT!

We pay dues for a reason and it's now time to get this one right -- show some b@llz and make us proud -- for once in your collective tenures!

Here's what I want to see:

1. IMMEDIATE GRIEVANCE against the company on this issue -- inappropriate use of 48/60 section. Our collective sacrifice is far greater than ANY other employee group or even the CEO + all the executives! A lump sum settlement + interest after a grievance victory seems appropriate.

2. Stand up the SPC -- Strategic Preparedness Committee. We are getting seriously hosed here, so I think it's time to take it to the next level.

3. Informational Picketing -- Nationwide + Media

4. MEC and NC need to take a VERY AGGRESSIVE stance on this situation.

We had no problem during contract negotiations with picketing measures for contract IMPROVEMENTS.


This is NOT the time to roll over on your back and pi$$ yourself in light of the company's actions. That means all my fellow line pilots, MEC and NC. Don't be intimidated -- our company is making money. Not as much as they are used to seeing in the coffers, but still making money! The pax carriers were losing hundreds of millions/month before these kind of pay reductions and furloughs were enacted.

Show some BACKBONE and take care of the pilots you all represent!

WE ARE NOW IN A SERIOUS REVERSAL OF FORTUNES PEOPLE -- WAKE UP!

DO IT LEGAL -- DO IT RIGHT -- DO IT NOW!



I'm just getting started ... but I will take a break for now.

NKA
:mad:

I totally agree, but I think if you read the recent comms from them-they are going to fight this tooth and nail. Maybe call your Rep and see what the timeline is. I would be disappointed and surprised if they (WE) don't take a stand on this. I like Gustafson and his tone, lets do our best to back him up.

I also like what I'm hearing from my LEC (7) and Block (8) reps. I also like what the NC is putting out. The tone sounds exactly like I want it to. Time to fight. Our MEC has been much-maligned in the past year and a half or so. A strong showing now would probably go a long way to getting past all of that.

None of the actions by the company lately has passed the smell test what so ever. I mean seriously...a possible 30% cut in pay :confused: For the entire FedEx company the pilots make up LESS THAN 2% OF ALL EMPLOYEES! (4,700 / 250,000 = 0.0188)

I don't mind doing my part and helping the company cut costs and save money, which I believe WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN DOING! Don't get fooled by all the smoke and mirrors BS, we are still making money.

Hopefully we can collectively rally behind the MEC and show some unity. Also, it might be time to re-evaluate a few other personal things as well...

Do I need to be accepting any Draft trips now?
Do I need to be picking up any extra trips right now?
If I bid a carryover trip, PROTECT min days the following month.

Please think twice before hitting that "Submit" button because ALL of these things affect manning and whether or not the company can justify invoking section 4.A.2.b. Fire away!

Personal Choice
 

I prefer not to be called

None of the actions by the company lately has passed the smell test what so ever. I mean seriously...a possible 30% cut in pay :confused: For the entire FedEx company the pilots make up LESS THAN 2% OF ALL EMPLOYEES! (4,700 / 250,000 = 0.0188)


Not looking for any sympathy, but many of us are looking at close to a 50% pay cut. 727 Cap at 72 hrs EXCESSED to WB FO at 48 hrs. My math shows that as a 47% cut, at my year group. Hope it doesn't come to that, but I am preparing for it.......... Ouch!

What I really want to know is what kind of pay cuts the geniuses that cost us 100's of millions of dollars for the Kinko's name change are taking. Or the idiot savant that bought 20 year old 757's for $40 million a piece when we could have had them new off the assembly line a couple years ago for less than $20 million........Brilliant !!

Lots of other examples out there, but I digress............

Simple and effective, I like it. Mine's done.

They are DRAFTING CAPTAINS for the F/O seat in the Airbus! What is up with that? Check out Trip 5192, 28 Dec:mad:

Don't forget, and don't quote me on the exact numbers, Fred and his pals just voted for a (fill in the blank if I am wrong) 10% increase in dividends from last year. Fred owns 19.5 million shares. How much is that? I'm guessing his 20% pay cut on his (fill in the blank) $500,000 salary will be more than made up on the 10% increase in stock dividend. (fill in the blank means I am to lazy and to intoxicated to look up the real numbers).

They can't just Draft any Capt to go fly the rt seat. Has to be someone qualed in both seat. Flex,LCA etc.

Sooooo. Why are they passing up F/O's to call them? The LCA who took the trip wasn't even the only LCA called for it.

Kool Aid. Not just the MEX and NC. We need to all individually grow some.

You are waisting your time and your money unless the union endorses this. Until they do fly your ass off and make as much cash as you can. You are an idiot if you don't. Save up and wait to fight the fight when it comes.

Brothers and Sisters, hang tough and don't let this kind of "CHEAP TALK" move you into despair ; this is going to be an exercise in collective will and determination to set things straight and I believe we have what it takes to do it. Support for each other and our Union is crucial right now ...................

Cheap Talk? Nice.
 

Just to clarify, my original post is nowhere near "Cheap Talk".

PC and DM are displaying a total lack of respect for all of us and the contibutions we make to this corporation. No discussion, no bargaining, no parity in common sacrifice with the other employees. They must think that we will just hang our heads, take the beating, and hope for some crumbs when it's over. This isn't Oliver Twist. This is real people with real families making real sacrifices.

This is more than purely about money. This is unfettered arrogance at the highest levels. The company and union reps all know this 48/60 provision was not intended to be implemented in this way. They choose to impose their will on us with the attitude of:

"F--- the pilots, let them grieve it!"

This should stay firmly rooted with all of us for the duration of this storm.

Our MEC and NC has engaged them repeatedly to achieve a reasonable solution well in advance of the 12/31 announcement. I'm very proud of JG and the NC -- their perspectives and recent communications have been excellent. I'm saying that the rhetoric is getting old -- it's time to take every available step within the RLA to make our statement as a unified group.

Let's be clear on one thing -- the MEC and JG CAN"T DO S--T without us! FDX can't either for that matter.

I am financially prepared to weather this painful storm until an appropriate resolution is determined via the grievance process. Unfortunately, many are not and we stand a good chance of losing a few hundred of our brothers/sisters on the seniority list.

What happened to shared sacrifice? After the company opens their books to ALPA's E & FA experts, I could deal with a 5-10% pay cut for a specified time -- 6 months -- if it were justified. After 6 months, review the progress and determine the next step.

Fly your trips, sit reserve, fly the scheduled deadhead, take your vacations, spend more time with your family, don't fly if you are sick, call in fatigued if you're tired. Pretty simple really.

Don't call me for anything else. Pretty simple.

Unity works. Simple.

Fr8Hauler, You have a good point singling me out for assuming that we could all stand together and do what's right for each other. We will never get anywhere if our union leaders don't do the right thing and I have my serious doubts about their intentions. But...Kool Aid still is absolutely correct here and for once in our freaking lives we need to get together and stand strong (EVEN IF THAT MEANS STANDING UP TO OUR OWN MEC).
I'm with ya Kool Aid and have done and will plan on sticking to your suggestions.
Gator

Cheap Talk? Nice.
 

duplicate post ... sorry

Personal Side of Things
 

After breaking the news with all the associated implications to my wife and kids:

Pretty tough pill to swallow watching my entire family in TEARS over this company imposed debaucle.

This is personal and I will not forget 12/31/08. Nor should any of you.

NKA
:(

NKA,

I don't know how long you have been here but this is not the first time they have made it "personal". Just asked some of the older guys what a "Red Letter" is. I too had to tell my wife about this and it wasn't easy. I think that I took it harder and she almost sat me down to take my blood pressure to show me how high it was. That is what they want.

On you post, I loved it and back it 100%. I too just told them not to call me for a draft trip, something that I had forgot to do, so thank you.

Stand together and we will get thru this

Noser

PS I am a jr 11 capt who will lose his seat if this happens, so I kind of feel the pain of the bottom guys. I will still have a job but will take a very BIG pay cut if this happens.

If true, every FO that was off that day, and not called for the trip, needs to grieve it and get paid for the trip.

Noser,

I too will lose my seat (727 Capt) and revert back to widebody F/O. After applying 48/60 to the new seat, it's almost a 50% pay cut.

I carry a copy of the TWO red letters sent to the crew force and have shared them with all crewmembers I fly with in times like these. Bottom line: we are a means to an end for the company and there is absolutley no respect or concern for us. Simply numbers on a sheet of paper to the bean counters and executives.

They are making a business decision.

I can do that too -- so can everyone else.

Let's never forget the most junior among us may take a 100% pay cut. To them I can only offer my hope that it will not occur and the resolute commitment to get them back ASAP if the "F-word" is implemented.

I cant find anything about that trip. What was the city pair, or any other info? I am curious to see who the LCA was that did it. We had some in SFS that did this quite a few times before.

This is why I was saying...NO extra flying, NO draft, take your max vacation and most importantly if you bid carryover PROTECT MIN DAYS! This is the biggest factor, IMO, to increasing the manning numbers and reduce the number of potential furloughs.

If you are NOT protecting min days the following month, and essentially flying extra, you are doing more harm than good and telling the company we need one less pilot.

Gator,

I am going to give the MEC the benefit of the doubt on this one. I think we are at a point that goes beyond some of their own political aspirations. As this thread states we need to demand that they stand up and go toe to toe with the company. We are being tested and the bean counters who are making these decisions are counting on us to fold and go along with their half-baked plan. There is no way in hell they can operate this airline with a 48 hour blg. They might try to screw guys on reserve with it but they cannot operate the SIBA system or the MD-11 schedule on so few hours. We just need to hang tough.

NKA,

Wasn't sure how long you have been here that is all. Also I am with you on this one. My last point about blood pressure was that we don't need to hart attacks from this so that they will win in the end. I had to take a day or two off from this (well I tried) so that I didn't end up in the hospital. As for the guys who will be on the street, I feel for them and will do whatever we need to do so that doesn't happen. I am in ANC and fly with most of them and hear how the feel all the time. It makes you remember who you are talking to when you start to b****.

Let's stay together and get this fixed!

Again thanks for your first post, it help in more ways then you will ever know.

Noser

Machiavelli

“Rule one: Never allow a crisis to go to waste,”

Rahm Emanuel, November 9, 2008 on current economic situation..

“Never allow a crisis to go to waste. They are opportunities to do big things.”

PC, December 31, 2008..

FCIF issued in the spirit of the above quotes


The real question here is will we waste this crisis or use it to earn the respect this management team clearly lacks for us as a group?

As an aside, please stop talking about furloughs until this company starts losing money and/or parking planes. Furloughs are not what this is about and spreading that fear only works against our cause and helps theirs. There are lots of good posts with good info out there. They are worthy of your attention and the attention of others. Also, try and always remember.."This too shall pass". Fly safe..

It's in VIPS. Airbus trip as stated before. One leg, LAX-EWR that paid 19+04 at DRAFT rate.

]5192/28Dec

Airbus Capt with CA areacode (916) on VAC all month gets an FO trip with DH to LAX for only trip of the month!

Most likely called when this dude called in sick in the field - 5191/29Dec

Still, no Airbus FOs that live in CA?? :rolleyes:

Pain is relative
 

No dog in this fight, just an interested concerned observer. I don't think you meant this to come across as I took it, but "kind of feeling the pain" with a displacement is no where near the pain the junior guys will feel with a 100% paycut!

Exactly. That's my point. I live in CA, with those days off, and the phone never rang. I was home all day!

It appears the "real" F/O called in sick in the field after his D/H to LAX. Scheduling probably said we need someone that can fly as a F/O in the next couple of hours and picked this flex instructor that lives there. I'll bet the guy got called and asked if he could be at the airport right away to fly one leg and D/H home. The trip would've been built with a front D/H for pay purposes. It's happens occasionally but normally the guy drafted is actually on the seniority list for that seat.

I think it's wrong to "draft" someone that's not on the seniority list for that seat but I obviously don't have a say in these matters. FWIW.

Right. However, the CONTRACT says they need to draft in reverse seniority order.

Just another example of them not following the contract.

What I don't understand is why the MEC cannot come out with a statement like

"To help the company, and pilots evenly distribute the hours of pay to be sacrificed, I encourage everyone not to waive min day protection, and use vacation to the fullest."

And don't give me any illegal job action bull$hit, because the company needs this also to help mitigate a furlough. Why do I believe this can't be construed as an illegal job action? Because the company NEEDS a reduction in hours!! If the MEC choses not to do this they don't have a hair on their a$$. I believe this is not only a necessary statement, but a mandatory one. We must expect leadership from our leaders, not cowardice. Some people need to be told what to do. This eliminates that dumba$$ excuse I have heard here for ever......"Well, I haven't heard the union say don't fly extra"

I also think it is stupid to quit flying the extra as a staunch union supporter and let some slimy MINO (member in name only) stuff his bank account in these trying times. I have ALWAYS did what I thought was right when the MEC could not endorse such acts. This is different because the company needs the reduction!

This seems black and white to me, but I have been wrong before.:o


BB

How many times do Memphis guys get draft calls compared to guys that commute? This section has never been followed. It's easier to call a person that lives in Memphis and have them D/H somewhere at draft pay then it is to start at the bottom of the seniority list and work upwards.

The answer to your question sir, is when the membership stops putting them into a defensive mode.

Thread title: "FDX -- When will the MEC and NC grow a PAIR? "

You need hormones to grow a pair. So I would say when we, the membership, start making our hors moan...The Union leadership will be able to grow a pair.

Until then...They're just cat herding.

Very true and not what I meant. Part of knowing who one is talking to before one opens one's mouth. No disrespect intended.

Thanks. Couldnt find it....duh.

File a grievance....tomorrow!

I called DT in Contract Enforcement yesterday. He "thinks" it might fall under 25.P, which says they can assign a trip to Management within 9 hours of showtime.

My opinion is that it falls under 25.O, which says a Draft trip has to be offered in reverse seniority.

If I'm right, wouldn't that mean that EVERY AIRBUS F/O with those dates off are entitled to compensation??