31Hz

Here are some thoughts on Posting 9-01. Someone may have aready posted this scenario.

An excessed pilot will be denied an award to an FDA if it creates an excess at that FDA. In other words, if the FDA is full, an excessed pilot can't go there.

Technically, HKG is not full while Posting 9-01 is open. So, none of the captain awards should be denied.

After the final excess bid they declare an excess in HKG for the captains seat and excess all but the original 49 slots plus 20.

Then they cancel Posting 9-01 before it closes.

No passover pay but the junior HKG captains lose their seat.

NoHaz

Wouldn't the 21st Captain awarded create the excess at the FDA?

Also, they can't kick out the junior captains already in HKG without posting an excess in that seat. That would deny some of the senior HKG Capts the ability to bid to relieve an excess from HKG.

Daniel Larusso

HKG is not full until the company decides it's full. The contract section that denies excesses to HKG just says that an award will not be given if it would cause an excess. It does not say 'already in excess status', nor does it define what constitutes an excess. My bet is that it will after the next cba(amon other things), but that doesn't help us here. PC purposely left it muddy in the FCIF by saying that they will award HKG on 09-02 at least to the extent of the number of vacancies on 09-01. I'm sure they won't make the practice bids too instructive in this respect either. Also 31Hz, I don't see why they couldn't do as you described above. In the end, I think the ambiguity they've created will likely yield them a lower number of bidders for HKG that they will ultimately deem manageable to send over there, but we'll see.

R1200RT

There is a group who I think will be bidding HKG. There are a lot of 53 -56 year old F/Os and Captains (who haven't been captains long) that are taking a hard look at HKG to get their high five by 60. I talked to two F/Os and one Capt last night in that position who are bidding HKG (all are empty nesters) and if they go it's OK with them, if they get passover pay that's better but the threat of actually going isn't an issue. They'll go explore Asia (use a lot of sick leave) and retire with a good high 5.

I'm just saying it will be filled in the left seat. What worries me now is UPS furloughing, that might make it easier for FedEx to follow suit.

990Convair

R1200, I will say again...FedEx isn't gonna furlough...not now. They are reaping MILLIONS of $$ each month by illegally flexing our BLG's into the crapper and are scared that will go bye-bye if they furlough. Let's face it, they are gambling as is, hoping that an arbitrator will side with them on 4A2B. It's more of a gamble to think an arbitrator won't side with us in snapping BLG's back if they do furlough.

I think in FEB they saved $28,000,000 roughly? That's a whole lot more than it cost to buy lines up before, 1,000,000/month.

Do not kid yourselves, the current realignment is ABOUT MONEY. Eliminating Passover and filling the debacle that in PC's MGT career is known as HONG KONG.

FedExBusBoy

UPS is threatening a furlough........let's pray they don't follow through.

Daniel Larusso

I agree that it will be filled in the left seat. I was trying to say that I think the finally tally might be more than the vacancies posted on 09-01. If they get a smaller, manageable number of Capt. bodies on the excesses, I think they may just accept the overmanned situation over there as setting up for the future. I think someone posted a bit ago about the potential for Capt. flying as FO over there, which may be a possibility-although I haven't looked at any potential issues involved with that so I don't know.

UPS' tactic isn't original in either the industry or at that company, we'll see what happens. It has been my opinion that FedEx has been fishing for something similar from us for at least the last 6 mos., but they couldn't get the union to bring it out to us. I think that was the reason for such a long gap between PC's New Year's letter and the beginning of this excess bid process. They didn't get the desired response from the union or the pilot group, so now they will press on with what was true the entire time: they will realign the list, watch what happens and furlough if need be. They just won't do it with any additional concessions above 4.a.2.b, but they've avoided the heavy handed antagonism that UPS is engendering.

990Convair

And remember, they could furlough today, right now and SAVE having to buy the nuggets houses and pay move packages and train them and on, and on.....just furlough the nuggets where they are, right? They won't do that because they may lose the flexible BLG bull$H1T they are shoving down our throats.

If we are waiting for the upper echelon of the seniority list to stand strong on this, it ain't gonna happen. They have enough control to exercise seniority to protect their historical income. It's the middle/junior masses that can stop this.

Gunter

990,

The company may still furlough the nuggets where they are.

They can get an excess award, be waiting for training then, wham, furlough from ANC. Never say Never.


This BS about the economy improving at the end of the year is nothing to count on. If volume picks up a small percentage of the fall we have seen, they will call it a miraculous recovery. We'll still have a horrible overmanning situation for a year or more after.

And I agree the upper echelon aren't going to go to the mat to stop this. Which is why I think a furlough is coming. I don't think you are looking at this situation in the context of current events.

Haywood JB

We'll still have a horrible overmanning situation for a year or more after.

No, we will still have a horrible overmanning situation until 2012, when guys are actually forced out the door! 250+ retirements per year starting then...