Airline Pilot Central Forums - Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Nosmo King (Post 962930)

BREAKING NEWS

MELTDOWN MAY BE UNDERWAY AT FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR POWER REACTOR

I hope our people can GTFO of NRT ASAP.

I didn't think the Japan disaster could get any worse, but if CNN changes their caption from "Earthquake Tsunami Disaster" to "Nuclear Disaster" ... it will be WAY worse.

Fortunately Okuma, where the reactor is located, is over 150 miles from NRT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlighTimeBarbie (Post 962907)

The problem with the process is once a TA is published - that section has already been agreed to...as a whole. My experience, in then making an argument regarding it's weaknesses/concessions, is that the MEC Administration and the Negotiating Committee will tell you it is bad policy to go back and seek changes to the TA - even small changes. They will tell you it diminishes their credibililty.

Also, since it is TA'd as a whole, when the pilot groups identifies the individual weaknesses/give-backs/concessions - things that will negatively affect quality of life - because they are already in the TA, they are impossible to change at that point.

I remember arguing against some concessions in the C2K Scheduling section at a roadshow and was put down by JM. These seem like little items when picked apart individually - but they all add up. For example, one of the concerns I argued was how the changes in the reserve scheduling would end up increasing short call days - which indeed they did.

Again, since each contract section is TA'd as a whole, it becomes too late to argue against individual concessions, that together significantly degrade QOL. The TA as a whole must be rejected - which has proven almost impossible to do.

Oh I absolutely agree with everything you said. My point was that I think the MEC should shut up about it when it is published as a TA.. no sell job... let us read it.. comprehend it.. and vote on it. But the sad thing is, like you say, they are almost never rejected.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maddogmax (Post 962965)

We should get one hour pre-flight pay plus 1/2 hour post-flight pay plus schedule or actual for every day of a rotation.

I suggested this a while back and it didn't get rave reviews. I agree with you. If I can be held liable for something I do before or after a flight, then I want to be compensated for it. This could be something we push for on the "work rules" side as well as a $ increase per hour. You might see some folks jumping ship to domestic if it happens. The shuttle guys would really increase their net pay.

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Originally Posted by DAL 88 Driver (Post 962936)

I don't like "dehead only days, 33 hour domestic layovers, productivity sits, and rotations spread out so there is 1 minute of credit time"... but I could learn to like them for $100k more in my W-2. What I would really like to see would be some work rule improvements to minimize those kinds of things along with a significant pay restoration and improvements to scope. But sorry, I can't go along with continuing to make bankruptcy/emergency pay just so I can eliminate some irritating and frustrating aspects of our work life. And if you think changing some work rules is going to result in any significant amount of bottom line restoration, well I'd like to know how you think it is going to do that (and what you are smoking).

Try on 6 hours per day for anything. Training, deadheads, and normal duty periods. Touching trip vacation bidding. TAFB at 3:1. Reroute and holiday premium pay. Keep adding to this list and I think you will see your life will be better and you will have more money in your checking account.

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Originally Posted by Columbia (Post 962908)

Does Delta have vacation touching? In other words. any trip which touches a vacation period is automatically dropped and paid turning two 4 day trips plus 7 days vacation into 21 days off. Some regionals have this, fwiw.

Since we went to PBS, you bid what you want and your trips never touch your vacation. You get 3 hr of pay for each vacation day. Just one more reason why the company likes PBS. Touching trips was the standard before PBS.

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Originally Posted by UncleSam (Post 962987)

If vacation was pay AND credit of 5:15 (or 6:00!), you would essentially get the same effect as "trip touching drops".

In other words, if your vacation paid and credited at 5:15 x 7 = 36:45

ALV 72:00 - 36:45 = 35:15

worth of trips to get a vacation month paid at ALV. A 4 day trip and a 3 day trip and you are over ALV. 7 days of flying in a vacation month. As it stands, you only get one low time 4-days' worth of time off in a vacation month.

This is VERY VERY VERY high on my list to have all events: DH only, VACA, training, RES day, calendar day layover paid at DPM.

(and I would really like to see a 6:00 DPM)

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnso29 (Post 962961)

If DALPA saved work rules in BK, then DAL had some seriously crappy work rules in the C2K contract. :eek:

Well that was a big part of the sales pitch we were given by ALPA at the time. I'm not saying I agree with it. Just that ALPA seemed to think we did pretty good in that area.

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Originally Posted by johnso29 (Post 962961)

That being said, I don't see how $$$ has direct bearing on QOL. If someone is living beyond their means, then perhaps more money would makes things easier. However, it's likely that if one lives outside of their means at a lower salary they will likely live outside their means with a higher salary as well.

Can't agree with you there at all. I think most of us had a certain standard of living in mind when we got into this career and most of us have the work ethic, aptitudes, and abilities to have chosen any number of careers and been successful. Those of us who went the civilian route knew that it would be a pretty low standard of living for a while but that the payoff would eventually come. I would dare say that many of us would not have been able to justify choosing this career if we had known the compensation would be cut in half. To take your argument to another conclusion... Are you saying that you would be happy with regional pilot pay as long as we improve the work rules and give you more time at home with your family? Maybe we could take ANOTHER 42% pay cut and dramatically improve the work rules. However, I think you could probably have more time at home with your family (and more money) flipping burgers at McDonald's. Like I said before, QOL/work rules are important. But money has just as much effect on you and your family's QOL at home as the work rules do. Ask your wife what she thinks about that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnso29 (Post 962961)

For me, QOL is max productivity while I'm at work so I can minimize time away from my family. I dont want C2K rates plus inflation/COLA if there aren't improvements made to the work rules/vacation/Sec 23G etc.

Don't get me wrong. I want to see the work rules improved too. I would love to be as productive as possible while at work and minimize time away from my family too. I'm currently on a three day DC-9 trip with 4 flying legs and 2 deadhead legs for the entire trip. What a waste of my time and extremely poor productivity! That shouldn't happen. But there is absolutely no way I would choose to continue earning HALF of what I reasonably expected to be earning at this point in my career in exchange for improving the productivity of my trips.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elvis90 (Post 962977)

Fortunately Okuma, where the reactor is located, is over 150 miles from NRT.

Yes and for now that is good for Central Japan. But the Friday wind forecast show winds coming from NNE at 13-15 kts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Columbia (Post 962908)

No, but that's not IMHO the major problem with it. Touch drop is great for some, and it rewards the jailhouse lawyers and computer programmer/bidder types (especially with good relative seniority in category) but there's a better way to go IMHO.

Simply increasing the credit hours per day would provide a significantly improved vacation experience for all pilots, regardless of relative seniority in category, and it would also do it with zero need for Good Will Bidding techniques as well.

Vacation should be 5-6 hours per day under the existing system of weeks per YOS. That would turn sucky vacation blocks into awesome vacation blocks for 100% of the pilot group in every category, line holders and reserves, without having to file a PBS appellate brief dissertation as well.

Touch drop helps some more than others, and helps the senior in category (who already get more vacation in the first place) far more than the junior in category. Increasing credit hours per day helps everyone and would be dramatically superior to our current ultra low credit noncation.

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Originally Posted by gloopy (Post 963039)

Management will offer you double your current vacation rate per day along with half as many days per year...