av8rdude

The HKG FDA staffing issue does not directly affect me personally because I am a 777 captain and am nearing retirement anyway. That said, I subscribe to the concept that anything that affects even the most junior FedEx pilot affects me too.

I don't know how much authority the FAA has to prohibit new hires from going to an FDA, but I do know the company would be ill-advised to "stand on their rights" and outright defy the FAA's advice. Could have repercussions...

I fully agree that any modification to the FDA LOA, including any enhancements to make it more attractive to pilots already on the property, should only be entertained as part of our ongoing contract negotiations. There is a certain amount of leverage here, and I think it would be foolish to squander it on one issue that primarily helps the company out of a problem of their own making. Instead, if the Negotiating Committee makes it clear that this issue will only be addressed in the context of a new CBA, it may help motivate the company to speed things up and bring negotiations to the conclusion we could and should have reached long ago.

Not to parrot the union line, but I think our positions really are focused and balanced. The company can easily afford the modest and reasonable improvements we seek. It's past time...

YYESIAV8

Where / when did the FAA opine about new hires going to HKG? Didn't we send new hires over there the past couple of years? I'm pretty sure I met one of them in the China Hotel happy hour...gal who used to work in Flt coordination before she became a pilot if I remember correctly. Pretty sure she was a new hire to HKG.

Overnitefr8

I have no idea if the FAA has said that or not, but the difference being now is that we are sending new (as in different) airplanes over there. All (or at least most) of the Captains will be new to the jet and on high mins. Maybe they don't want a base set up like that?

FDXLAG

Albie I have waited a long time to say this you are wrong. According to our contract a the HKG "Domicile" has been open for a while. The HKG 767 "Base" has not yet been open. Yes STV will apply. My prediction there will be STV lines with flying the 1st week and last week with 2 weeks off in between so you can answer draft calls.

11. BASE: An aircraft specific operational work location (FDA, temporary vacancy
or domicile).

DLax85

..........+1

pipe

We can't give you that information without a contract.

Albief15

Wonder if we'll see it actually used. How ironic that the portion of the LOA that got me fired up enough to actually get involved in union politics actually got pulled out of the closet and utilized? Shacking someone for 30 days away from family (originally 90) non-voluntarily is going to be a real sore spot for some. Maybe the 30-90 day voluntary ones really "...will go senior..." And I think you've probably corrected me more than a few times...but I've been wrong plenty so that hardly makes you in elite company .

I sure don't know. Funny with 3 small kids I was ready to fight like heck against the LOA, but now with college age kids I'm actually (voluntarily) moving over albeit with a better LOA than we had originally. It would still be a swift kick, however, to a junior guy with a family at home to be told he was "deploying" for the good of the company over to China for a spell. I'm sure with the current tension in Europe there are some who don't want to go over their either. Probably won't happen, but I imagine the lines in the job fair lines might be a bit shorter at the FedEx table if junior guys are threatened with being sent away from family on a virtual hotel standby for 30 plus days. Might save a few missed trips, and a buck or two in the short run...but it might also keep some folks scared away from a company that has to pull that kind of process to properly man a domicile.

I'll say it again. I like working here. I like my co-workers. I know some good guys who have tried to make a difference in management and training. That said, how some manage to continually irritate what should easily be one of the most loyal group of pilots is amazing. Lack of information to the pilots seems to be a corporate value here.

FDXLAG

I would expect STVs would go senior, although not as senior as SIBA. Between vacation and training restrictions and the relatively small pool of 767 pilots I think STVs might be harder to fill then the company expects. I would bid either once just to see if I could handle HKG as an emprty nester myself but would hate to see anyone revrsed into one.