Strike pay is minuscule and short term.

Labor Union furlough pay is substantial and long term.

Just an outsider looking in but maybe just set up a voluntary fund and distribute it equally to all the furloughed each month.

OK, but structurally the same, so you have a moral problem with it?

The reason I ask is that for our long term health of our unions and work rules this may be the best solution. It allows some relief to furloughees so that the union can stand firm for work rules in this type of situation. It is a small assessment that is, in many ways, cheaper to the pilots who stay than the concessions we so often accept. Those concessions that historically stick around much longer than we anticipate. I am not for concessions in almost all cases because I know the history. It seems this solution, which to the OP's credit, is outstanding outside the box thinking should have some real discussion and debate.

To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about it. I bet if I asked the last 50 pilots I’ve flown with if I could stay in their guest room for a month because I was having hard financial times, probably 40 of them would hand me a key. But on the other hand, if I asked them to take $500 out of their wallet and hand it to me, probably all 50 would look at me weird. I think we have a very magnanimous bunch here, but there’s also a culture and history that I’m not sure lends to a pilot funded furlough fund of that magnitude. I think a voluntary fund would receive an impressive amount of contributions, though.

I agree with you until the argument was put to them that this is cheaper.

Some easy math because I am not smart. A five percent assessment for the duration of the furlough. Say 200 per hour for round numbers with 72 hour guarantee. 14,400 at 5% is 720.00. An eight hour guarantee cut for furlough mitigation is 1600 so we're saving 880 and no mitigation that ends up being the gift that keeps on giving. According to the math earlier in the thread the furloughed pilots would get around 40K per year. Most of us pilots are good looking enough with enough skills and personality to score at least 30-35K at a job during the furlough. So by my math we have furloughed pilots able to pay bills and survive during the furlough.

Senior pilots saving money over the concessions we almost always seem to accept. And a contract left intact so the furloughees coming back don't have to spend a decade getting money and QOL back. Also keep in mind that the airline understands its expensive to furlough and if the pilot group is firm and standing up for itself and the furlough candidates aren't scared for their lives the furloughs will be only what's needed to survive and not a union busting tool for managements.

I agree. The company is going to find a way to reduce staff no matter what we do.

Thousands of positions have been eliminated. That does not change that they have also reduced the hours of employees via reduced work days, job sharing, reduced line values for flight attendants ect..

Almost everyone posts about a contract left intact. The ask has been a ALV reduction. It corrects itself and can be time limited. Someone yesterday posted the max flight hours the last few contracts have allowed. The company always wants the highest ALV available.

In normal times yes they want the highest ALV. Why only now for a lower ALV? It’s not so much to save jobs as it is to protect losing potential future revenue (by having pilots on property) if things bounce back quickly. It’s a business calculation.