1721
 

Seems a small reprieve for 220 of our brothers/sisters. Good news for them.

MEMO TO: All Flight Operations Employees FROM: John Laughter, S.V.P. – Flight Operations DATE: Sept. 17, 2020 SUBJECT: Reducing furloughs and working to save all pilot jobs
As we’ve navigated through the swift and deep impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our focus from the start has been protecting our people – including your jobs. Making it through the long and choppy recovery without pilot furloughs has been and continues to be our goal. We invested in an industry-leading voluntary early out package and continue to work with pilots’ elected representatives on short-term options and long-term solutions.

This week we made significant progress and reached a tentative agreement with ALPA’s Negotiating Committee to offer voluntary scheduling options that will allow us to spread the available work among more pilots.

This agreement must still go through the MEC review process but is a positive step toward reducing pilot furloughs. While we won’t know the take-rate of these options until the agreement is finalized and then put to bid, we in good faith committed to reduce the number of pilots at risk of furlough by 220 – decreasing the total to 1,721.

We also this week shared with the Negotiating Committee another proposal with a no-furlough commitment that would make no permanent changes to the PWA and be temporary with the recovery. We stand ready to work through the proposal quickly and efficiently recognizing the urgency of our situation. We also continue to watch progress in D.C. on a potential CARES Act extension.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most difficult challenge we’ve ever faced, but for more than 95 years, we’ve weathered storms big and small and have become a better, more resilient airline because of them. Through it all, Delta pilots have demonstrated leadership and true professionalism.

Thank you as always for all you do. Stay focused. Stay safe.

"in good faith" -- more like they actually need the pilots....or the yes votes.

Need the pilots.

I was thinking the former also....i don't feel that there has been any good faith since the sil debacle.

Thanks for letter John, but I trust my union not you.

Wonder what will happen for October. Not sure how they could put the 220 online without subverting seniority.

They don't have to be on the line. They can be UNA until the next AE.

Also sucks for the guys who didn't put a reinstatement bid in because they thought they'd be furloughed and were told by the company not to bid...

Yikes. Tough crowd. Looks like 11226 most junior now. 9/11/2017 last class saved.

subverting seniority, lol. This whole thing has been one seniority subversion.

Any bit helps to chip away, hopefully the first AIP mentioned saves a chunk more, and let’s see beyond that too.

Yeah, baby steps here but I understand it’s frustrating for some. I hope the voluntary measures can save more which in turn could ease up company demands for an ALV cut to mitigate the rest.

Is this saying the 220 are saved now or only if the TA passes?

Technically the MEC would have to pass the TA next week but I just don't see them turning this down. Basically now Ed can say that they actually have tried all voluntary measures to prevent furloughs. Still negotiating the "big" deal that would prevent all furloughs.

The 220 are protected until at least Jan 1, 2021. MEC News email has a 2 paragraph blurb about this new deal.

Have you seen it? I'll be pleasantly surprised if all voluntary measures that mirror those at SWA show up in this deal.

Negotiations Update

The Delta MEC Negotiating Committee (NC) has reached a tentative agreement with the Company on LOA #20-03 Voluntary Scheduling Options. The agreement, if ratified, holds off 220 furloughs until at least January, 1 2021, and provides pilots in surplus categories with several new voluntary reduced value lines upon which to bid. It will be presented to the MEC next week at the Special MEC Meeting in Atlanta in open session. Following the presentation, the LOA will be posted to the Delta MEC website.

As stated in Delta town hall presentations, the Company approached the Negotiating Committee on Tuesday with an additional proposal. This new proposal would delay the remaining furloughs beyond October 1 in exchange for temporary modifications to the contract. The NC spent the week analyzing the proposal and will brief the MEC next week at the Special Meeting for their consideration.

Has anyone seen any data on the demographics of the 1721 now on the chopping block? Now that the MEC has confirmed it's looking at "at temporary modifications to the contract", I'd like to know more details on this group. How many are still in the Guard or Reserves? What's the age breakdown? How many have families? Now that the camel has a nose underneath the tent this is important information when considering any modification to the PWA.

Do we have any active flyers who aren't UNA and can just be a full up round in October, despite not having bid? I'm not sure how the special reserve lines are created - random days where they are needed, or does the pilot have a say?

No it isn't.

Yes, there are pilots still flying who will have the option of a blank regular line (if they could have held a line) our custom built reserve line.

Sounds like a voluntary ALV cut in fat categories. Unless there is a little more meat on the bone I’m not sure it will be a good take rate. After a MD to a fat category, I’ve been content doing 2 SC and maybe one trip for a full month res guarantee. Cutting the SC in exchange for a lower guarantee may do the trick. I’m guessing we won’t see the details unless it passes the MEC next week.

I would gladly take a long term SIL. Is this even being discussed?

No, I'm just guessing that Ed will use this to make that claim.

The MEC News Update says it will be discussed in open session and following the presentation it will be posted on the MEC website.

Denny

Thanks for reading post 17 on my behalf. :D

But how does a custom built reserve line get built? Who places the X days? If the add-in reserve lines take category reserves over 20%, does everyone get an extra X day, and how do those get placed?

Clearly these are extremely minor effects of managerial foot-dragging. If my work/home life were in suspended animation as a 1941er while the company was playing these games I would be livid.

I dunno, ask a VEOP'er who rescinded. It's the same contractual setup they got.

Didnt the SWA pilots voluntarily take a ALV reduction to help save pilots? I think SWAPA did it outside of a company demand/ask?

Delta has a philosophical problem with paying pilots not to work. It would look bad to the flight attendants.

If this is important information, then I would guess we need to know if their spouse is gainfully employed, how much she makes, how much their savings are worth, do they have a trust fund... ... etc???

Will also need to know what interest rate they have on their primary and secondary residence and what year their Miata is.

I don’t think so, not for everyone anyway - i.e. Just the VEOP & Long-term SIL equivalents. My SWA Capt neighbor told me the company did that all on their own, and SWAPA found out when everyone else did.

Miatas...plural

If the company decides to offer SILS, would they be available to pilots who are already on an unpaid leave?

They never needed to furlough those guys to begin with. They need them, it's all part of the negotiating tactics.

Just freaking furlough us or go away.

Next negotiating cycle negotiate i want contract language that all communication from the company has to come through the union first. I dont even want to know who is running the company anymore. If we wanna know what the company wants or thinks sailing fun will still be here to spread it around.

What the hell is Delta management doing? This 11th hour bs is enfuriating.

1721 furloughs save about $765,00 per day. Which is about 2.8% of our current burn rate

Probably for the holidays. Then we’re fat again until summer. That’s the way I interpreted the Jan 2021 cutoff.

I suspect it’s a similar process as those who return from leave too late to bid a line. This happened to me when returning from mil leave, and crew scheduling arbitrarily assigned me my reserve days. For those senior enough, I believe there’s leeway to move x days, and they said potential of a blank regular line. For those most junior (now 220), I think the reserve days will be at the whim of scheduling.