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ALPA Scheduling Help- FAIL

Old 03-03-2021, 09:23 AM
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Default ALPA Scheduling Help- FAIL

Is there anyone else that thinks the new system of e-mailing scheduling and hearing back a month later is acceptable? Do we not give them enough money? Are there not 3 full time paid( prior) Delta Scheduling managers and a team of pilots on flight pay loss to help with scheduling problems. But don't worry, your ALPA monthly magazine is on the way. Seriously, ALPA Scheduling is nearly the only touchpoint a pilot will have with their union in their entire career. If we need a 13,000 sq/ft building and a staff of 150 to answer scheduling questions promptly then we should have it, that's what we pay for. ACTUAL HELP. Good forbid we cancel a few hospitality suites or the Lets Hold Hands Committee.

Rant over.
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Old 03-03-2021, 10:03 AM
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Originally Posted by mikea72580 View Post
Is there anyone else that thinks the new system of e-mailing scheduling and hearing back a month later is acceptable? Do we not give them enough money? Are there not 3 full time paid( prior) Delta Scheduling managers and a team of pilots on flight pay loss to help with scheduling problems. But don't worry, your ALPA monthly magazine is on the way. Seriously, ALPA Scheduling is nearly the only touchpoint a pilot will have with their union in their entire career. If we need a 13,000 sq/ft building and a staff of 150 to answer scheduling questions promptly then we should have it, that's what we pay for. ACTUAL HELP. Good forbid we cancel a few hospitality suites or the Lets Hold Hands Committee.

Rant over.
There are currently 34 emails in the inbox with oldest one being from March 1st. So, currently we have around a 2 day response time. It is possible your email got lost in the mix or accidentally deleted. Feel free to PM and I’ll personally work on your issue.
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Old 03-03-2021, 10:05 AM
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Our schedulers do a fantastic job with what they are given. There are only a handful of people working in that office and this is the most efficient way to do it. If they need more info they will call you. Lumping in our volunteer people with the shenanigans that our elected reps do is uncalled for. I get your frustration when you want an immediate answer, but I still believe there is a number to call if you need that for FAR violations.
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Old 03-03-2021, 10:12 AM
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Originally Posted by mikea72580 View Post
Is there anyone else that thinks the new system of e-mailing scheduling and hearing back a month later is acceptable? Do we not give them enough money? Are there not 3 full time paid( prior) Delta Scheduling managers and a team of pilots on flight pay loss to help with scheduling problems. But don't worry, your ALPA monthly magazine is on the way. Seriously, ALPA Scheduling is nearly the only touchpoint a pilot will have with their union in their entire career. If we need a 13,000 sq/ft building and a staff of 150 to answer scheduling questions promptly then we should have it, that's what we pay for. ACTUAL HELP. Good forbid we cancel a few hospitality suites or the Lets Hold Hands Committee.

Rant over.
For all I know, you’ve already done these things, and I feel your pain. In any case, I’d be interested to know what percentage of the solicitations for help from our volunteers could have been avoided by any of the following:

1. Calling scheduling
2. Reading the contract
3. Talking to the CPO
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Old 03-03-2021, 11:07 AM
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Originally Posted by AlphaBeta View Post
Our schedulers do a fantastic job with what they are given. There are only a handful of people working in that office and this is the most efficient way to do it. If they need more info they will call you. Lumping in our volunteer people with the shenanigans that our elected reps do is uncalled for. I get your frustration when you want an immediate answer, but I still believe there is a number to call if you need that for FAR violations.
I have absolutely no problems with the volunteers and/or ALPA scheduling employees. They are excellent and under appreciated. I have a problem with not being able to pick up the phone and talk to someone. We pay enough for someone to answer the phone, including asking stupid questions.
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Old 03-03-2021, 11:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Ar Pilot View Post
There are currently 34 emails in the inbox with oldest one being from March 1st. So, currently we have around a 2 day response time. It is possible your email got lost in the mix or accidentally deleted. Feel free to PM and I’ll personally work on your issue.

Suggestion:
-Every day, or every week, update the DAL/ALPA website, and all social media accounts with the number of outstanding scheduling inquires, and the time in hours that the average inquiry is being answered.
-Starting tomm, blast out information on how to get scheduling help on every ALPA communication we receive. Weekly, monthly, everything.
-Poll the pilots on budgeting priorities. Ask them to rank how important it is that pilots be able to call the main ALPA line and get real time scheduling help. For all scheduling issues. It would rank #1. I think we all know that.
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Old 03-03-2021, 11:24 AM
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Originally Posted by mikea72580 View Post
I have a problem with not being able to pick up the phone and talk to someone. We pay enough for someone to answer the phone, including asking stupid questions.
"Skin in the game"?... I would guess that by making you sit down and compose a logical question(so as not to "ask stupid questions") you have to have a few facts. In doing some minimal fact gathering, prolly the majority of the time the answer to the stupid question becomes self evident. Also, I'm sure, the 1 stupid question usually morphs into multiple stupid questions. With the current process, it is prolly much more efficient and enhances the volunteers mental faculties( I don't like to think of my fellow pilots as stupid)

To be a boomer, I relate this to raising kids. When doing homework, they initially thought that by asking me to help them find the answer it was going to save them time. After I realized the game, the "game was up". When asked a question, I made sure that my answer was anything but easier for them. They quickly realized that a little bit of self motivation ended up being the easiest solution.... so how does this relate to scheduling? ALPA scheduling has realized the game is up. They now make you email your questions and, voila, it now is what it is.

The world according to Garp, at least this Boomer's view.
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Old 03-03-2021, 12:02 PM
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How are they supposed to ensure they answer everything in order.

For example, if you have a scheduling question that isn’t 117 related immediate need, and there are 30 emails in the box, why is your question more important than someone who emailed 2 days ago?

would you be okay with calling and explaining your situation and being told “okay we’ve logged your question it’ll be answered in the order received, which is currently running 2 days” or something similar?

Or are you demanding that your question is more important than the other people who have sent a question first?
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Old 03-03-2021, 12:03 PM
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In a previous life, I was a scheduling committee volunteer, did it on my own time, no FPL... it FORCED me to know the contract intimately. After we got frustrated with the company schedulers started “freelancing “ when they had to solve problems, our union started putting a union rep in OCC, all day, every day to watch the schedulers. Sound familiar? I did that work, it was tedious and boring at times. But, when a scheduler rerouted someone, or tagged a reserve with a trip that the crew member thought was inappropriate, all they had to do was say “transfer me to the union rep, and I answered the line, I had full access to the company schedulers system and notes... I could verify the trip legality and look at the bigger picture for fatigue issues. Most often, I had to tell them to put their big girl panties on and go fly the trip. Occasionally we coordinate with the company schedulers and compromise.

My point is that having a rep in scheduling may not be a bad thing. They don’t need to do the company’s job for them, and it will usually cause a scheduler to think twice before “freelancing”


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Old 03-03-2021, 12:59 PM
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Originally Posted by cencal83406 View Post
How are they supposed to ensure they answer everything in order.

For example, if you have a scheduling question that isn’t 117 related immediate need, and there are 30 emails in the box, why is your question more important than someone who emailed 2 days ago?

would you be okay with calling and explaining your situation and being told “okay we’ve logged your question it’ll be answered in the order received, which is currently running 2 days” or something similar?

Or are you demanding that your question is more important than the other people who have sent a question first?
I’m suggesting that we beef up the Scheduling Help department of our union to include answering calls in person. That way your rhetorical questions about “rationing” scheduling help don’t have to be reality.
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