2cylinderdriver

It is not a junior vs. senior, the 25K was aged based as we have lots of "junior" older pilots. If you are talking about paying for the 25K now, that is not true. We pay for the post medicare VEBA which is something we will all be eligible for. We did pay for the funding of the initial money to set up those accounts by giving up part of the pie in the 2006 CBA to get it, totally agree!

We should have never agreed to a short term fix for just part of the seniority list with respect to the cost of retiree health care. Those of us who do not have the 25K will need a long term fix that covers everyone going forward. That will have to be addressed in the next CBA otherwise no one will retire before 65.

We all lost 5 years of normal progression, hopefully we are headed back into a normal retirement pattern again. Hang in there!

Sluggo_63

And why do we have so many "junior" older pilots? Some came from other airlines that shut down, went bankrupt, etc., but I would guess that 80% of those "junior" older pilots did 20+ years in the military, have been getting their retirement checks from Uncle Sam for some 15-odd years, plus have Tricare For Life.

Albief15

...which they EARNED....

FDXLAG

Actually that 25K didn't help most of the retired military guys. As I recall there were 2 requirements essentially you had to be the same age as the then NC chair and you had to have had 10 years with the company at DOS. I am a senior Junior pilot though so my memory may be slipping.

2cylinderdriver

"For each eligible active pilot (i) having a seniority list number
on August 25, 2006, (ii) who has attained at least age 53 before
January 1, 2007, (iii) who is expected to meet the age and
service requirements for coverage under the Retiree Group
Health Plan as of his attainment of age 60 or older, and (iv) who
retires on or after August 26, 2006, the Company will make a
one-time cash payment of restricted signing bonus to the VEBA
equal to $25,000"

FDXLAG

There you go, senility. But what does service requirements for Retiree Group Health Plan mean?

2cylinderdriver

you may be senile but I think you can still read so this will be my last errand to the CBA store

Essentially by age 60 you would have to have been projected to meet these rules, which covers almost every retired Military guy I can think of at the time, not all, as we had some very old internal hires i know of.

"A retiring pilot is eligible for retiree coverage under the Retiree
Group Health Plan if he:
a. was hired before January 1, 1988, is at least 55 years old, and has
10 years of continuous service with the Company after age 45;
b. was hired on or after January 1, 1988, or was a Flying Tiger
employee who began to work for the Company on August 7,
1989, and is at least 55 years old, and has 20 years of continuous
service after age 35 (Flying Tiger service plus FedEx service); or
c. is age 60 with at least five years continuous service immediately
prior to age 60."

Huck

Tony ... Check PMs

RedeyeAV8r

I don't quite get your most of these guys were "Retired Military" theory.

How could the majority of Eligible Pilots have been retired Military and hired before 1988 and then get this deal on or after 2006.
To be retired Military most guys would be minimum 43-45. I doubt the majority of hired Pilots were in this category in such majority numbers that you speak of. I freely admit that I don't have data to back up my opinion, do have have some factual #'s?

During the Big hiring wave of 1994-98, most of the new hires were first or second tour Military, Furloughed American, Delta and USair and some TWA and from a slew of smaller LCC's and Non sked carriers. There were a few Retired Military pilots, but they were the small minority.

Many of the Pilots hired in the 1983-88 timeframe were Ex Continental, Ex-Eastern, Ex-Pan Am, Ex-Frontier 1 and ex Braniff 2 and TWA. We also hired a lot of pilots right out of their first, or second Military Tours which would put them at best 10 years shy of a Military Retirement. From 1988-to late 89 FedEx didn't hire much.

Even so, what is your point? If a guy was lucky enough to get a full 20 active duty and then get hired here, who cares, like Albie said, he earned it.

Many Pilots think these members get 25,000 cash in the bank to spend on anything. They don't, it is in a specific account, similar to HSA that they can use only for Medical expenses for them an family.

Now, if you want to make the point that this deal wasn't renewed in the 2010 Bridge Contract, for the next group of Pilots who was 53 and older when this contract was signed, than I think I'm with you.

Nightflyer

The fact that is was not renewed is precisely my point.

Before the vote for contract 2006, I asked what guarantee was there that it would be renewed. None, they said, and they were correct.

Bottom line: if you give $25K to one group, you had better be ready to give it to everyone.