No, not sore about it all. I like earning what I make. In this case you have many who are making more doing a day of work at the mil job than they do a day of work at the DAL job. They're playing by the rules that are laid out, and I don't begrudge them one bit. But I don't think it makes sense to throw profit sharing money at pilots who don't work toward bringing in the revenue. Sure, it's really nice of the company, but it's actually the pilots who are flying the line who are giving up some PS to share with the non-producers. As a veteran I think the pay and benefits a military member receives from the tax payer for their service is justified for what the military member does to protect the country and our freedom. Profit sharing is intended as an incentive for doing a good job toward achieving the company's goals. A 2nd year FO on the 73 who averages 110 hours a month is going to get more in PS than a 73 2nd year FO who averages 65 hours a month, as will a 2nd year 73 FO who's on mil leave for a year who never stepped foot on property. Doesn't seem right to me. Moreover, it's a monetary incentive to stay away from Delta work.

 

That's all reasonable to me. There's something to be said for "non-producers" who are actually producing something valuable for Delta pilots (namely safety and security)...it's just that it happens to be worthwhile for non-Delta pilots too so I understand the frustration with sharing PS with inactive pilots.

Getting excited about altering the way MLOA is handled, though, seems to distract from bigger issues at hand IMHO. The current thread about contract comparisons and what vacation and pay USED to be gets me more pumped up than tweaking MLOA rules for a handful of affected pilots.

 

No just plain no. Blaming staffing problems on mil guys is just wrong. This staffing issue is 100% the company's fault...not our pilots

 

I hate it when any military personnel get killed. And I know the majority of reservists don't abuse the system and face tough deployments.

But I also recognize the percentage of reservists, who are abusing the system is too high right now. Argue if you want about what is abuse, but don't try to insult my intelligence and tell me it doesn't go on.

 

Define abuse. Are they lying and not going to their reserve job? Are they violating the law or company policy? The fact they are working their schedule to make it work for them and their families falls under the category of "duh" to me.

 

I'm not insulting you because I'm not (and haven't) claimed abuse doesn't take place. But someone who is in complete compliance with federal law and Delta's military leave guide isn't an abuser. Your previous statement leads me to believe you have a different definition of "abuser". That's seems like a slippery slope, and one the company would love to have its pilots plummet down together. Where there is no unity, we are a vulnerable lot.

I have heard anecdotes of "friends of friends" who were fired from Delta for abuse of mil leave. Note that I fully support such a removal from our company for intentional abuse of mil leave for reasons we can probably agree on.

 

I think he's referring to the post that started this topic of a guy who got through indoc and then dropped 5-year mil leave orders. 5-year orders don't just find you, you have to go out and find them and volunteer to take them. I don't think anyone has any problems whith those who do his/her normal Reserve/Guard duty which sometimes includes long term orders, but this a little bit beyond that. So were they truthful during the interview when asked about availability and commitments? Maybe they were one of the long swimmers in the pool and something came up. I don't think we have the whole story.

Back to the thread topic. For mil and non-mil alike, don't like about your availability and commitments and you'll be fine. Also, for everyone, do yourself a favor and get through training and consolidation before taking long stretches away from Delta. It will work out better in the long run.

 

Before I retired, I felt bad for the times I took mil leave on drill weekend when I couldn't bid my schedule around it. After thinking about it for a minute, it dawned on me that every day I was on mil leave, meant every pilot junior to me was bidding one position higher in the category. A senior pilot wasn't being forced to fly on my drill weekend, it was a junior pilot who had a line that month vs. being on reserve. If I was just hired, I'd be praying that every pilot in my class went out on mil leave the day after indoc.

It seemed a bit unfair that some pilots who were out on extended mil-leave, came back and slid right into the category senior to me. It turns out they had done me a favor, because while they were out on orders, I was bidding one position higher in that category. They didn't just appear on top of me in the category, they had stepped aside and let me bid one number higher in the category while they were gone.

 

How bout a new hire that shows up, gets the seniority number, and the right after indoc, oh yeah, I have to go back in the military next week for a three month course for a new aircraft. Really? Did that just come up in the last two weeks? Law violation? No. Abusing the system, yes IMHO.

 

I don't know enough about this situation to qualify it. Have you ever been told to expect some orders but then they didn't come through? Happens all the time. What happens when that unit loses their aircraft, he loses those orders, and now he's out 3 months of seniority at what will be his till-he's-65 employer. There is a ton of uncertainty in military duty. I don't expect our pilots to pay the price for that uncertainty in delaying their seniority beyond a date on which they can get hired. I would encourage them to try to get consolidated before leaving, but know that we can't demand that since everyone's situation is different. I think they know they are under a special watchful eye if they pull this indoc-and-out situation as a newbie; fair enough.

Yes, it creates some inefficiency in Delta's hiring process, but they can model it accurately enough that it should be predictable. And we've given enough efficiencies to the company that I don't feel bad for them. I certainly don't feel bad for every other dude behind this guy who is one step higher in effective seniority for as long as he is out on orders.