Vacation Bid Bust
 

While trying to minimize vacation use I bid a 90 hour line that conflicted with a C/O trip into May assuming I could conflict a short trip during the view/add window with my vacation period and add a trip or two outside the vacation for reasonable pay; true?

A good/bad news scenario; nearly the entire month off but only 29 pay hours. Not many open time options available to rebuild a reasonable line and still be at home. I think I know the answer; should have read the contract prior!

Reading the contract and understanding the contract can be two different things. Made a few similar mistakes myself over the last 20 yrs. The best thing you can do is enjoy your time at home and make it up in spades when we have a contract. :(

Yes, good thinking.

Haven't looked/experienced where you're at. But don't think the system will award you an intentional conflict with your vacation period.

On the plus side, you'll have a bunch of extra vacation hours to use.
Downside, have to decide if you want all the time off for two 14.5 CH paychecks...somewhat confident that you will be able to adjust your BLG higher once the makeup window opens this week. Just don't ask for that sweet 90 CH carryover trip or you'll be in the same hole

Wait, I'm a little confused, here. So is it that you just had a 90 hour trip dropped due to your carryover? Won't there be a large number of trips available (that will show up tomorrow), that you can cherrypick for CIC? Many people do that purposefully. Sure, that sucks that you won't get any vacation pay that month, if I understand what you're saying---but do it right on your next vacation, and slide it to hit the max amount of trips.

We ALL learn the hard way. Even if we think we understood the contract, even if we clarified with futures, even if we talk to the experts. I just assume every time is going to be a worst case scenario, so plan my scheduling to deal with that!

Years ago I asked, in separate requests, both the company and the union to install a "practice" program that would address "if I am awarded line X and request Y (vacation/slide, regular line, reserve, etc.) what would the program spit out according to the contract. It went nowhere. I resorted to sending my planner an email in plenty of time before the bid closes asking him/her what I could expect. That has worked for me.

I use FxCal on the iPad for my bid and the vacation tool is pretty good at showing conflict etc...not sure about BidX but would imagine it does too. Not saying this answers your question but last month I turned a 7 day and an 8 day vacation into 58 days off with carry in and carry over + sliding and expanding. FxCal made that possible :D

+1

Later today a whole bunch of trips will drop into open time after people conflict activities with training, vacation, etc. Just remember that the view add activities are run in seniority order. Learned that one the hard way a few years ago. Conflicted 70ish hours and only added 25. Make sure you enter A LOT of choices during view add otherwise you'll be competing with everyone else after open time is released.

Can I PM you to get a quick tutorial on how you did that? I have 7 days in Jul and 8 in Aug. Thanks!