Not the Genteel Southern Corporate Culture!
 

Oh, Lawhwd, please don't let them take way our genteel southern corporate culture!

Delta Wants More Than to Be the Best Airline - TheStreet

A few reasons:

1) You want to fly as much as possible because you need the money and don't care about days off.

2) You want to get to the ALV as quick as possible so you'll show full the rest of the month. This, in essence, "restores" your X days.

3) Similarly, you're trying to get into a higher reserve bracket quickly, with the hopes that they won't use you because there's a bunch of guys still in the lower bracket that would get called first. This is a little bit more of gamble and depends on your seniority and how much reserve coverage there is.

4) If you're a commuter, there may be a commutable trip that starts on your last X-day vs. a non-commutable trip that starts on your first reserve day. Either way, you're having to come in on the same day but this way you save a hotel room or a night at the crash pad.

I've never done it, but it offers another way to try to control your schedule a little bit.

I agree, and I think the bigger issue is German domination of European politics, and their insistance on putting the screws to countries that wanted to engage in significant deficit-spending during a recession (the way we do, with great enthusiasm). Greece is a special case, because they really don't seem to have any cerdible accounting, but countries like France and Holland had to take a softer stance towards growth. They didn't, now their governments are toast.

FWIW, I told my ATL rep that my four main items were: Scope, Pay, Sick leave, and Min calendar day for all, (reg & res). He told me, three days ago, he did not expect that we are getting a Min calendar day. I told him I needed all four items as a Min. Therefore, if true about no Min calendar day, a no vote for me.

It doesn't matter to me what they call it, but there needs to be some sort of cleanup to our scheduling/pay rules. Specifically:

1. The end of 10:30 3-days
2. Reserves crediting less on the same rotation than REG pilots - this is CRITICAL if the aforementioned ALV increases are to be offset.


Both of these basically boil down to a minimum day. 2:00/min just doesn't cut it. Still reserving my opinion for a final (complete) product, as quite a few things still need to be addressed.

Vatation Bidding Options
 

Bump...I'm in the same boat. Not really targeting Rolling Thunder, but wondering benefits of bidding block vs reserve. How does one maximize pay and time off in this situation? Anyone have any suggestions?.....Please?......Pretty Please?

With regard to the Negotiator's Notepad:

I am extremely disappointed with DALPA and the negotiating team. We have been working under essentially bankruptcy forced work rules and pay rates for the better part of ten years. (Yes, there have been a few increases, but depending on one's sources, they haven't kept up/barely kept up with inflation.)

We have been told by numerous sources that ALPA "get's it"... We have been told that we have leverage...

And this is what they have negotiated? This is ALPA "getting it"? YGTBSM!!!

I don't need to see the whole contract because there is enough there now for me to say to say no.

I'm somewhat surprised this hasn't been pointed out, but under the proposed changes to reserve, crew scheduling can "park" a pilot just under the ALV so he/she is still on the hook and wait for a high time trip and fly them right up to ALV+15.

Sure there are a few minor improvements, but to me anyway what has been negotiated so far are significant productivity concessions. WHY ARE WE GIVING UP ANYTHING?

Lastly, from previous experience, I think the remaining negotiations will go something like this: Company playing hardball on the big stuff and the negotiating team being "burned out", agreeing to insufficient increases in pay rates, scope, etc. They'll say "Gee fellas we did the best we could. You can't reject this or we'll have to start all over. We'll get 'em next time...."

In the case of these expedited negotiations they'll play the "time value of money" card.

I don't want to wait (again) for "next time".

Yeah, I'm still in the wait for the whole package mode. Interesting what we have so far, but I'm in the work less crowd.:D

Now.....what I did find interesting is something that I never worried about as a narrow body guy. RLL. Right now, if you can't get a full ALV you can get an RLL with hopes of picking up something vs sitting reserve. Looks like we've agreed to RLL but then sitting recovery flying up to the ALV? My beef with recovery flying is you are at the top of the list to go. So you may already have more hours in for the month than a reserve and be senior to the reserve but you are going out ahead of the reserve.

Is that how anyone else reads this?

Ferd

PS and a fix to trip parking is a good thing IMHO

It only makes sense for an individual's unique situation.

Personally, I've used it to avoid a really bad trip that was in the pot on my first "on" day, or to fill up early in the month. It's been a few years since I've pulled it off, but I've flown on X days and been full by the 18th. That way I effectively got my X days back, plus some.:D

Where are you guys seeing a minimum day? I thought ACL said a month or so ago that that was dead. A minimum day is huge! Will really effect narrow body trip construction, in a good way IMHO.

Ferd