This is a BFD for every pilot in every seat at every seniority level because of the attempted precedent being set. That Flt Ops management can unilaterally change the contract by memo simply because they don't like how it works out anymore is at least DEFCON 2. What's going on here is nothing short of a massive power grab and end run of not just our contract but the very nature of how it exists and can be enforced in the future.

For process alone, if nothing else, we have to see this through. If we allow the status quo on our contract to morph into pencil versus pen with the company getting the only eraser we are setting ourselves up big time.

 

You are missing all the trips that are assigned the morning prior to the report day. In LAX 90% of the trips assigned to reserve have around 24 hour notice. All of these can be flown within both the contract and 117. If anything all the company has to do is push out the reserve assignments.

Yes, there will still be an issue with pop-up trips that can not be handled by Short-call and these will be green-slips.

Until the company and union work this out I foresee the following.

1. Most trips awarded early AM the day prior.
2. Anything else that can be given to S/C will go to S/C Pilots - expect to see more S/Cs on your schedule.

Both of the above are legal per 117 and the contract.

3. Next you will see Greesnslips.
4. Finally you will see the "gray-area" assignments, legal per 117 but not exactly within our contract.

Additionally you might see some 19+ hour inverse assignments which would also be within both 117 and the contract.

My only question is the sequence that scheduling uses to award open time - Do they have the flexibility to just skip the that parts are not legal per 117? Some steps in the sequence that are contractually required are no longer legal - I would assume this give the company a free hand in moving on to the next step.

Anyway - good luck getting the whole month off. As always I think the 117 affects will be category dependent. In LAX our trips did not change that much. We will see about the rest.

I am assuming a 9 hour acknowledgement ( basically status quo) - not the three hour contractual requirement, which is now an illegal contract per 117.
Scoop

 

Agreed. No one is going to get the month off because of this. The only thing that could end up going away are the early AM shows on day one of reserve.

About time.

 

I think you have it backwards - the ability to turn your phone off for 9 hours is derived from the fact that long call reserves have until 3 hours prior to report to acknowledge an assignment. Not the other way around. There is actually nothing in our PWA that specifically says you can be out of contact for 9 hours when on reserve.

Of course the end result is the same And, per ALPA, your interpretation is essentially correct.

 

Ok, I agree with what you're saying, thanks for the response. My theory for a work free month lies in that time period between acknowledgement of an assignment and when I have to legally report. Company can't assume that you were resting during that 9 hours that your phone was off and new FAR's requires 10 hours of rest from acknowledgement. If I understand what you're saying, in order to comply with the PWA and the FAR's long call assignments basically have to go out with 19 hours notice in order for the company to cover requirements without conflict.

In regard to you 2 hour notification statement, I agree about the long call concession and the union has made their stance publicly regarding this. Maybe I'm over thinking this, but this appears to me to give the union a HUGE amount of leverage in this negotiation? The company wants 2 hours, we currently 9 hours (in most cases) to acknowledge. Seems to me like we are negotiating this from a good spot.

 

Don't forget, the PWA says that long call pilots do not have to acknowledge an assignment until 3 hours prior to report - regardless of when the trip was actually assigned. They could put a trip on your line 24 hours in advance and you could still wait till 3 hours prior to report to acknowledge. This, of course, would then make you illegal for the trip. So, perhaps, an month off is a possibility - ALPA says they've got your back

 

Then that is even worse for the company. Its far superior for scheduling if we are allowed to be out of contact for 9 hours and then need 10 hours after that versus waiting until 3 hours prior to acknowledge a trip and then needing 10 hours rest, which would automatically drop the trip.

19 hour long call isn't as convenient as 12 for the company, but its infinitely superior for them than untouchable/automatic trip drop due to legality long call.

This is actually a huge opportunity for "constructive engagement" or whatever. Maybe we can compromise and codify a 15 hour long call with a 5 hour rolling "leash" for acknolwdgement and add an extra 15 minutes a day pay/credit for vacation. Either way, its up to us and our reps to negotiate for improvements on this. Letting the company put out its own helmet fire by lining through our contract and penciling in its most favorable fantasy interpretation is something we simply cannot allow.

There is ample opportunity to provide relief to the company to keep the operation running smoothly (provided they staff appropriately) while obtaining substantial QOL improvemenes for our reserves and remaining legal per the FAR's.

 

Thanks for the response. I think you're right about the 19 hour mark. Looks like I'll be working next month after all, but maybe I won't have to get nervous around 7-9pm when I'm sitting at home hoping they don't call saying"be here in 12 hours" which is tough for me to do as a commuter.

 

this is what I was looking for in the PWA but I could not find it....

 

Its a tough call for the vast majority of commuters. 12 hours is not enough time to reliably and consistantly sit long call at home for most commuters unless they are NYC based living in a shuttle city. Yet, with most pilots commuters, and in some bases the overwhelming majority commuting, its unresonable to expect pilots to consistently come up the day before while on long call with no assignment just because maybe theoretically they could possibly get a worst case scenario report time.

Hopefully we can reach an agreement with the company where LC time is increased to at least 14 or 15 hours and early day one reports are a thing of the past.