Marshal, try again with PM.

 

One of the 757 will be leaving by the end of this year; that is a definite. The other will be around approx one additional year on it's lease. No new projections for additional 757 (unfortunately). The 757 was used primarily for Vacation Hawaii's trips between LAS and HNL. I have heard that our 767 will be replacing this operation beginning next month (Sept 2011).

 

CONGRATS on the TA boys!!! It's a new day!

 

The TA isn't signed yet. It still has to survive the voting process by the pilot group. We will know in a month or so whether or not it passes. I will say it's off to a rocky start. Lot's of discussion taking place in the pilot group about it. Roadshows by the union will be taking place to educate the pilot group and allotting plenty of time for Q's and A's. The fat lady hasn't even started warming up yet.

 

It's certainly going to be an interesting process. I will say though, it seems hard to judge where most people stand. The most outspoken are the "no" voters (as it usually is), which drowns out most of the other chatter. I think this one is up in the air.

 

I really don't think this is up in the air at all.

The pay raise is mediocre, most everything else is practically the same as what we already have, insurance is still much too expensive, we still work 18 days so no improvement there but wait, no, we can now get sent home on the 19th day (a day off) with no extra pay, and they can now send us out of any approved airport within 120 miles, which could change from one trip to another creating havoc with parking, and the most terrible of all, no trip rig or duty rig.

That sounds like a big fat NO.

It is essentially the same as what we have now, except it opens up opportunities for the company to abuse us more so than they are allowed to do in their own current policy manual. Anyone who votes yes on this is an idiot.

But now, we can all vote NO, and the negotiating committee can take that huge NO vote back to the company and show them that we won't accept something this ridiculous, and they'll have more leverage to get rid of the crap in this thing and get something reasonable. Which it isn't now.

 

I agree with you about the parking issues and the lack of callout if they can't get you home on your 18th day. I think that's crap.

That said, maybe I'm reading a different TA, but I see a heck of a lot of improvement over the current EPPH in most other areas. Solid scope, 40% raise (not at all mediocre when you're only making $36,000/year to begin with), limits to deadhead duty (i.e., no more 36 hour duty "days" commercialing to the desert), known-flying lines, long call reserve lines, short/long term disability, sick leave for everyone, seniority based upgrades (I know you don't believe in this, but it's easy not to care when you already got yours), industry-standard furlough/recall language, due process for disciplinary actions, and just-cause for termination. I'm sure there's probably something I've missed in there, too.

Your vote is your own, but I don't understand how anyone thinks this is just a copy of the EPPH thrown back at us.

 

I was looking over the TA and I'm a bit concerned, among other things, about the Gateway Airport concept. I live within 120 miles of 6 designated Gateway Airports and I'm just curious how to handle parking. Getting a pass to the employee parking lot at all these airports will be impossible and paying for long term parking each month for upwards of 21 days will be unaffordable. Does anyone have any information on how parking will be handled or if it will even be addressed or will it ultimately just be a classic case of "sucks to be you"?

 

Section 8.E. 2.

 

While I appreciate all the hard work of the negotiating committee, I am extremely disappointed on what the company has offered us. We are being fed their table scraps and told to like it. Everyone in good standing has to make their own decision about whats in front of them, but there are a lot of negative things that are in there.