TonyC & Albie,

I've flown with both of you guys. I like and respect both of you.

I'm one of "those guys" that actually reads and tries to understand TAs before I vote on them. You guys seem to have a better understanding of many of our issues than the "Average Joe" and I do my best to try to appreciate the points you are trying to make.

At this point I'd like to see the two of you;

- Take a deep breath ...
- Focus
- Turn up your hearing aides

We voted for this Contract and we're now forced to live with it whether we like it or not. I find that I'm sometimes telling APCers that if they don't like something to get involved and try to fix it!

You've both done that ... THANK YOU VERY MUCH!*?

This is starting to sound like the "Burglar Call" story?

While on patrol, I arrested a burglar who’d injured himself running from a home. He told me he’d broken in and unhooked the phone before searching for valuables. But he’d panicked when he heard a woman’s voice. I entered the house and heard the same voice: “If you’d like to make a call, please hang up and try your call again.”

It's time to get over it and move on. We now have more important things on the agenda.

Happy Holidays,


MM

 

Absurd. Chasing women around Asia? Oy vey! And this ridiculous notion that some pilots had to lose for others to gain is utterly foolish, in my opinion. Honestly, I've heard folks say that this voice has influence, but I haven't seen it. Perhaps some folks feel obligated because this voice eased the interview process, which in my opinion is an utter shame. Ring the bell of shame on this nonsense. Shame. Shame. All the arguments for the contract were entirely selfish. Shame. And now we're a bit defensive. Shame. And cursing no less! Shame. My virgin ears. The legend, the myth standing before the HK gang touting this wonderful contract has resorted to vile, defensive tactics, calling folks out, calling us chickens for not unmasking ourselves, asking us to look him up on VIPS and give him a call. What's the point? A heated argument? So one or another can go crying to management? More absurdity. Folks are going to feel the heat for some time, and folks are going to vent. If you voted yes, sleep well and be at peace. If you voted no, try and do the same. Best if you go to Asia first and find a nice young lady on the company dime.

 

It cracks me up that there are some yes voters on here that think 57% is a good number. I bet they'd be proud of a 51% pass too.

We've sure come a long way from 2006's 93%.....

 

At least you're laughing again. Personally, I think 50.000001% would have been a better number because then I would know for certain that my single vote really mattered. As it stands, I am now probably just part of the overkill.

 

Albief,
I think you are usually the voice of reason. And i applaud your positive centrist comments. But I take exception to your last post.....all of it.

I shouldn't have to give up ANYTHING so YOU can get home earlier (I'm one of those Emirates FC flyers). I shouldn't have to give up anything for your kids education. I could go on and on.

The point is....We should have all gained....not given up. You seem happy at how much you gained....at the expense of others...that comes across as beneath you.

It seems this contract is a boon for some....for others...not so much.

I'll miss chasing women all over Asia....lol

 

I have a question about our contract. Did scheduling historically look at a trip's "reserve period" (aka ... day trip or night trip) when determining if a trip could be swapped with open time?

In years past, I could always swap a night trip for a day trip working on the same day. In other words, they didn't work the same reserve period (the language used in the new contract).

This was before the company started shading day and night trips in open time in VIPs.

However, since the TA was passed, I am unable to swap different reserve period trips with the excuse that the trips don't work the same reserve period/insufficient reserves. I think this is due to the changes to Section 25.L.8.b.

Anyone else experience this?

We've got to fix this flooding the schedule with Hotel and Airport Standbys.

 

In the past that had no bearing, probably just during
the peak.

 

As someone who has commuted to and from the Asia FDA for years and used HILO as it was intended in between jumpseats home, I too thought the “chasing women around Asia” comment was out of line.

This is the second time I have heard a former MEC member talk about this so called HILO abuse and how it must be stopped. I couldn’t believe my ears then and I don’t now.

So let me get this straight: only the company is allowed to take advantage of all the loose language in the CBA literally taking money out of our pockets and screwing our quality of life, but god forbid the pilots do the same thing because 80% of our MEC plus 57% are there to save us from ourselves? Wow, I guess we certainly can’t have any pilots taking advantage what is written in the CBA can we! Give me a break. Can you say “double standard?”

How about fixing the company’s many abuses first such as Insufficient Reserves before we go stabbing our own in the back. And oh by the way, if you do indeed want to fix an abuse, you freaking tweak it – you don’t throw the whole thing in the crapper and screw everyone.

And really? Flying coach because of HILO? $10,000 deadheads instead of $10,000 FDA education costs? $335 an hour and $2,000 a day instead of raises for new hires? Total hogwash. Why has this zero sum mentality become so pervasive among our ranks? That is a company line I’ve never bought into. They can afford it all and then some if we ever had the unity to demand it, but unfortunately we never will.

Well Happy Holidays everyone! I’m trying to figure out how not to go out of pocket $100-$200 a month just because I would like a nap and a shower during my half days at the Narita or Taipei airports, all because the deadhead I deviated wasn’t consecutive or inter-continental, and I am not on the front end of a trip. However, the company is laughing all the way to the bank regardless.

And yea so what if someone is chasing women around Asia. What business is that of ours? Certainly not mine, but I wasn’t aware that the morality police were on the beat now. Anyway, the folks in Hong Kong are a very diverse group coming from a wide range of backgrounds. I’m about halfway through my second tour working there, but very many still go all the way back to the Subic days. Out of respect, I certainly wouldn’t go about speaking for all of them collectively. That goes even more so if I had just recently arrived there.

 

Every contract we have ever had here is a cost nuetral shell game. Heck our FPA guys had "cost nuetral" stickers on their old leather flight bags. That is ALL WE WILL EVER GET with our current negotiating strategy.

 

The HILOD used by 99% of CGN crews, was for family travel and to ease life for commuters, not that it should matter anyway. The DH bank was accounted for, and if a pilot went over it, it was out of pocket. The "it was being abused" excuse to give up a GREAT deal that helped FDA folks, sounds as empty to me as "it was their line in the sand".

I'm no longer in an FDA, but would like to return someday. I shake my head at how we now justify taking from one part of our earned, previously negotiated gains, to slightly improve other deficient parts of our CBA for 5% of our whole group, as actual positives/wins for our crew force.

I should add, that I have moved on, and DO appreciate the gains we received in the CBA. IMO, we gave up way too much, for too few gains. But bottom line is, I believe we still have the best gig in the industry. We are indeed a fortunate group. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all.