Naven

Not to mention that there is no way they are going to get to 300 furloughs. They are going to do everything to save face and put as many of our guys on the street but the system is close to meltdown right now with 100+ gone. Whoever the idiot was that chose to furlough instead of accepting the MOU and the guaranteed 100 million in savings while maintaining operational flexibility should be ****ting right now.

Roberto

I wonder if UPS agrees with you. Remember, they control the furlough dates and can adjust/have adjusted as they see fit to match what they need (and the training output). If UPS is concerned, it is a simple matter for them to adjust the flow more so than they have already. Possibly what you see as "meltdown" is for UPS just a series of work-arounds that they find advantageous.

L'il J.Seinfeld

Really? You think any of the bottom 300 will ever upgrade at UPS? I don't see it happening. I think we will see UAV 747s by the year 2030-2035 and single pilot ops by 2025-2030. Thanks again to DC and CD for standing the line for FO pay.

I am shocked that any reasonable person can contend that a pilot does not deserve the full capability of his employer to return said pilot to place of employment. I will never bid international while at UPS. The pilot who had his passport stolen was totally reasonable in his actions. To withhold his pay is reprehensible and I fail to see how those involved can look themselves in the mirror.

IPA vs UPS, pilot vs. Mgt, and worker vs. supervisor is all irrelevant when it comes to humanity. It was simply inhumane to let that pilot fend for himself in a communist police state. This is truly a low point at this airline.

Roberto

Actually, the increase in the pay scale (roughly for years 2-8) at the expense of the pay scale for later years probably REDUCED the pay for FO's with greater than 9-10 years longevity. (The change in the pay scale continues to be mischaracterized as FO vs. CPT pay, but that is only if one upgrades to CPT after about 10 years.)

757upspilot

It now takes 15 years instead of 12 years for an FO to reach max pay and that max pay is based on a percentage of Captains pay that given inflation and the additional medical ins costs shifted to the crewmember was a pay decrease. DC and CD did a great job, lets not even get into CD's wonderful sched article.

Soyathink

Again this is a rumour. Like the drama in the writing though. Shame newspapers are laying off. Damn UPS causing the newspaper industry to collapse.

Evergreen is hiring. That should be more humane.

See what happens when people can't get along? I guess flying banners over golf outings and sending out press releases bashing the company really helped the humanity of the company. UPS has 103 years of dealing with that crap so what do you expect in return? Does anybody here realize its better to have a friend than an enemy?

L'il J.Seinfeld

Soyathink,

I sincerely appreciate your forthright and honest opinions. It is nice to know exactly what I am dealing with regarding support from FQS. The pilot who had his passport stolen is/was an Air Force officer and pilot and has done intl at UPS for years. I guess we differ on what responsible conduct is.

I think that we can agree that this is a very bad atmosphere. IPA pilots are taking notes on the personal and professional conduct of mgt pilots and mgt is standing by laughing (figuratively and perhaps literally) at UPS pilots stranded in Red China.

I'm seriously considering full time mil orders and I am not in danger of being furloughed. There are many others like me as well.

Sideshow Bob

With friends like UPS, who needs enemies? This isn't Adult Friend Finder, it's a business, right? UPS, for whatever reason has embarked on a different business model than in years past. What specifically sparked the new direction is good for trivial pursuit, but largely immaterial other than the fact that, in a small consolation prize, the politburo in ATL has in effect declared war on the entire work force. Consolidating from 5 to 3 national sectors, forcing hundreds of managers out early, shrinking staffing across the board and declaring the mother of all wars on the Teamsters and IPA. It's convenient to speculate that the politburo is betting on a double dip, which sounds nice and reasonable, but I think they're just trying to cut to the bone while the cutting is good using the double dip for cover. What they don't understand is our resolve. They may well continue to furlough until the service failures reach some unknown point, when the bucket will tip over. Until then it's a staring contest plain and simple.

Among the things I find amusing is the attitude of many FQS' that their jobs are safe...think again...you're just one bright idea in ATL away from the street yourself with no seniority number and no recall rights.

In the meantime you and Gumbie can laugh at us as though you're immune from the UPS carving knife. I suppose delusion is of some comfort.

iarapilot

But you might get a discount with FX.....not sure though.

Archie Bunker

Hey slick, the pilot's passport was stolen from his "secure" hotel room. The passport was located in a locked bag (secured with a TSA approved lock), in a supposedly "secure" hotel, where we will be safe, and our belongings safe from pilferage. The pilot's action in securing his passport was more than reasonable and perfectly responsible when staying at some 5 star hotel with security personnel and cameras everywhere.

I don't know of any pilots that physically carry their passports with them when they go out on the town, because there is a chance you could misplace it, or you could get mugged, and have it taken from you. I guess we'll have to risk that now since our rooms are no longer secure. If we had a room safe (not always available), that would be our only other option.

Regardless, what the company should have done was help this pilot. Assist him with gateway personnel that speak English, that could accompany him to the Chinese police station, and immigration authorities. When you're not in Hong Kong, hardly anyone speaks English. How would you like to explain to Chinese authorities what exactly happened when you don't speak a word of Mandarin? The fact that our pilot was able to get out of there on his own in 9 days is a testament to his survival skills and his moxey.

I would love to stick some high ranking UPS manager in BFE, where nobody speaks English, take his passport, and tell him to find his own way back home. That would be comical to watch. He probably wouldn't even know how to make a phone call.

Nice going UPS...you've shown how much you value your employees...NOT.