The Deal's Not Done
07-22-2019, 07:27 PM
#1
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Sep 2011
Position: lav dumper
Posts: 707
The Deal's Not Done
Figured this could use its own thread, as the union really wants it to be heard, especially for those potential new hires. 
Current Group Grievances
22 July 2019
Over the past several months, the Association has filed four group grievances; two are awaiting company response and two have made it to the System Board of Adjustment. This is due to management's unwillingness to provide a suitable remedy to make the pilots whole or to comply with past arbitration rulings. This is the first time in six years that four group grievances have been filed while awaiting resolution at one time, and is a clear indication of management's deliberate and meditated actions to reduce our pilots' quality of life in order to prop up a struggling operation that has continued to deteriorate over the past several months. Current open grievances are:
1. TBDs/OOPs/REFs being placed on pilots' schedules when they are not phone liable (reserves and lineholders): The Association has asked management (as a remedy) to coach and council the chief pilots about this issue. After two months of pilots still receiving these codes on their schedules, the Association deemed that TBDs were being used as a punitive measure toward line pilots and filed the grievance to the System Board of Adjustment.
2. April Trip Mix: In 2015, the Association went to arbitration over trip mixes. The arbitrator ruled that the company must consider trip mix when building lines. However, the company did not consider it for April 2019 and pilots' lines were built to max FDP limits, with some into the set buffer. This caused issues like trades being denied due to buffer infringement. The Association offered the company a remedy (raise 200 percent for the summer), but it was swiftly turned down. Since this was already an arbitrator ruling, the Association was able to refile directly to System Board of Adjustment without needing a denial letter from the company.
3. ILIW IT Issues: Another grievance has been filed with the company regarding the ILIW IT issues that have plagued the pilot group for the past four months. The company has refused to come back to the table with a counter remedy.
4. IAH August Lines: The Association has just filed another grievance with the company regarding IAH lines for August. While all bases were built with greater than 50 percent of the lines above minimum days off, IAH was built with just seven lines, or 93 percent of the total lines, above minimum days off. The IAH line builder requested permission to build two additional lines that would have greatly increased days off in IAH, but was denied by the company. This violated Section 21.D.1.c of Contract 2018:
Regular lines will be constructed to include as many similar quality trips or the best possible matching of similar quality trips and to maximize days off.
This grievance will be heard next month during regular meetings with the company.
The current System Boards are waiting to strike for arbitrators and will be heard by a third party as soon as an arbitrator is selected. Despite management's new philosophy of "continued beatings until morale improves," rest assured that the Association will continue to tirelessly press for remedies to the problems the company chooses to create. You can support your Association in these efforts by wearing your blue "Deal's Not Done" lanyards and displaying your "Deal's Not Done" luggage tags and handle wraps. The more pilots who participate in this campaign, the louder our collective voice becomes. THE DEAL IS NOT DONE!
Current Group Grievances
22 July 2019
Over the past several months, the Association has filed four group grievances; two are awaiting company response and two have made it to the System Board of Adjustment. This is due to management's unwillingness to provide a suitable remedy to make the pilots whole or to comply with past arbitration rulings. This is the first time in six years that four group grievances have been filed while awaiting resolution at one time, and is a clear indication of management's deliberate and meditated actions to reduce our pilots' quality of life in order to prop up a struggling operation that has continued to deteriorate over the past several months. Current open grievances are:
1. TBDs/OOPs/REFs being placed on pilots' schedules when they are not phone liable (reserves and lineholders): The Association has asked management (as a remedy) to coach and council the chief pilots about this issue. After two months of pilots still receiving these codes on their schedules, the Association deemed that TBDs were being used as a punitive measure toward line pilots and filed the grievance to the System Board of Adjustment.
2. April Trip Mix: In 2015, the Association went to arbitration over trip mixes. The arbitrator ruled that the company must consider trip mix when building lines. However, the company did not consider it for April 2019 and pilots' lines were built to max FDP limits, with some into the set buffer. This caused issues like trades being denied due to buffer infringement. The Association offered the company a remedy (raise 200 percent for the summer), but it was swiftly turned down. Since this was already an arbitrator ruling, the Association was able to refile directly to System Board of Adjustment without needing a denial letter from the company.
3. ILIW IT Issues: Another grievance has been filed with the company regarding the ILIW IT issues that have plagued the pilot group for the past four months. The company has refused to come back to the table with a counter remedy.
4. IAH August Lines: The Association has just filed another grievance with the company regarding IAH lines for August. While all bases were built with greater than 50 percent of the lines above minimum days off, IAH was built with just seven lines, or 93 percent of the total lines, above minimum days off. The IAH line builder requested permission to build two additional lines that would have greatly increased days off in IAH, but was denied by the company. This violated Section 21.D.1.c of Contract 2018:
Regular lines will be constructed to include as many similar quality trips or the best possible matching of similar quality trips and to maximize days off.
This grievance will be heard next month during regular meetings with the company.
The current System Boards are waiting to strike for arbitrators and will be heard by a third party as soon as an arbitrator is selected. Despite management's new philosophy of "continued beatings until morale improves," rest assured that the Association will continue to tirelessly press for remedies to the problems the company chooses to create. You can support your Association in these efforts by wearing your blue "Deal's Not Done" lanyards and displaying your "Deal's Not Done" luggage tags and handle wraps. The more pilots who participate in this campaign, the louder our collective voice becomes. THE DEAL IS NOT DONE!
07-23-2019, 04:23 PM
#2
Line Holder
Joined APC: Dec 2018
Posts: 87
That e-mail doesn't begin to describe how bad the QOL and morale is here currently.
Why any new hire would come here is completely beyond me. All the "Smart Choice" regionals are backed up on training (Skywest, Republic, PSA, etc.). Usually getting your foot in the door and a seniority number is smart but that is not so here. There's hoards of lifers and a shrinking fleet, we're still sending Commutair 145's. In the future we will likely be an all 175 fleet that will come at the expense of 145's currently being flown (we still have a net loss of pilots) even with the hiring.
You could take the summer and early fall off to go to an actual Smart Choice regional and it would pay off overall since you'll actually upgrade much faster do to growing fleet (Skywest, PSA) and those moving on at the top.
The CPP is a joke and hasn't flowed many people (300 or so total here) on top of the fact that they also changed the sick call policy to include excused sick calls. Not to mention United hasn't sent out any Hogan's in over a year. I think only 40% or less of our pilots even qualify for the CPP. Even lower once the final review comes around.
Don't count on a flow or staple to the bottom either. They have zero intentions of ever creating a flow here. They want complete control over who they hire. If the current pilots on property weren't good enough than there's no way the new hire batches of pilots will pass muster. Most are older or those who have failed out of other programs that actually hold standards (Air Wisconsin).
"All,
United recently made a revision to the “Dependability” section of the CPP program. Specifically, a statement has been added that states “A complete dependability history (excused and unexcused occurrences) will be reviewed by United’ Board of Review (BOR).“ The revised Dependability section is included below and will be updated on XJT.com as well.
Note that every pilot completing their interview in Denver with United already signs a “Career Path Program Release and Acknowledgment Letter” that allows United access to all information about attendance, training and disciplinary actions for the duration of their employment at ExpressJet. This revision more accurately reflects the Acknowledgment letter.
Dependability – A complete dependability history (excused and unexcused occurrences) will be reviewed by United’ BOR. Program participants must maintain dependable attendance, meaning no documented and unexcused occurrence of the following in a rolling twelve (12) month period while employed by ExpressJet:
1. Sick call over company recognized holiday
2. Failure to operate assigned flight or event without notice
3. Notification of sick leave less than 4 hours prior to departure
4. Notification of sick leave after beginning of reserve duty
5. Sick call impacting an assigned training event
6. Failure of the pilot to be contactable when required
7. Sick call prior to or following a scheduled vacation
8. Greater than four (4) absences, unless those absences are covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act"
Why any new hire would come here is completely beyond me. All the "Smart Choice" regionals are backed up on training (Skywest, Republic, PSA, etc.). Usually getting your foot in the door and a seniority number is smart but that is not so here. There's hoards of lifers and a shrinking fleet, we're still sending Commutair 145's. In the future we will likely be an all 175 fleet that will come at the expense of 145's currently being flown (we still have a net loss of pilots) even with the hiring.
You could take the summer and early fall off to go to an actual Smart Choice regional and it would pay off overall since you'll actually upgrade much faster do to growing fleet (Skywest, PSA) and those moving on at the top.
The CPP is a joke and hasn't flowed many people (300 or so total here) on top of the fact that they also changed the sick call policy to include excused sick calls. Not to mention United hasn't sent out any Hogan's in over a year. I think only 40% or less of our pilots even qualify for the CPP. Even lower once the final review comes around.
Don't count on a flow or staple to the bottom either. They have zero intentions of ever creating a flow here. They want complete control over who they hire. If the current pilots on property weren't good enough than there's no way the new hire batches of pilots will pass muster. Most are older or those who have failed out of other programs that actually hold standards (Air Wisconsin).
"All,
United recently made a revision to the “Dependability” section of the CPP program. Specifically, a statement has been added that states “A complete dependability history (excused and unexcused occurrences) will be reviewed by United’ Board of Review (BOR).“ The revised Dependability section is included below and will be updated on XJT.com as well.
Note that every pilot completing their interview in Denver with United already signs a “Career Path Program Release and Acknowledgment Letter” that allows United access to all information about attendance, training and disciplinary actions for the duration of their employment at ExpressJet. This revision more accurately reflects the Acknowledgment letter.
Dependability – A complete dependability history (excused and unexcused occurrences) will be reviewed by United’ BOR. Program participants must maintain dependable attendance, meaning no documented and unexcused occurrence of the following in a rolling twelve (12) month period while employed by ExpressJet:
1. Sick call over company recognized holiday
2. Failure to operate assigned flight or event without notice
3. Notification of sick leave less than 4 hours prior to departure
4. Notification of sick leave after beginning of reserve duty
5. Sick call impacting an assigned training event
6. Failure of the pilot to be contactable when required
7. Sick call prior to or following a scheduled vacation
8. Greater than four (4) absences, unless those absences are covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act"
07-24-2019, 10:00 AM
#4
Line Holder
Joined APC: Dec 2018
Posts: 87
6 July 2019
Over the past eight months, the Association has repeatedly requested information about what the next generation of the United Career Path Program (CPP) would look like, or if there will even be one going forward. Since its inception the CPP has been plagued with issues and there has been little to no communication with participants, or the Association for that matter, about potential fixes or what the future holds for pilots at XJT in terms of career progression. Our requests for information were designed to provide feedback to United and the company about ways to improve the program for all parties involved.
Yesterday, we finally received the company's first CPP communication in some time. This communication, strategically sent to a frustrated and exhausted pilot group over a holiday weekend, is language added to the CPP's attendance and reliability policy. The update states:
United recently made a revision to the "Dependability" section of the CPP program. Specifically, a statement has been added that states "A complete dependability history (excused and unexcused occurrences) will be reviewed by United' [sic] Board of Review (BOR)."
My preliminary discussions with the MECs of other CPP carriers indicate that this change is, to our present knowledge, exclusive to ExpressJet. While a majority of the attendance and reliability section of the CPP remains unchanged, the Association views yesterday's update as a pitifully desperate and unoriginal attempt by a similarly-versed management team to solve their mounting operational and staffing issues by threatening possible career repercussions if you call in sick. Our sick calls have increased, but this is no doubt due to the increased physical and psychological stress our pilots face — a symptom of the horrendous state of life on the line and management's inability to solve the staffing challenges they face. Quality of life has fallen to record lows at XJT, resulting in over-worked and over-extended pilots who, being human, then get sick.
This revision essentially results in two different sick policies for XJT pilots to abide by; the first is the company's current Attendance and Reliability Program policy and the second is outlined in the CPP guidelines to be used to determine a pilot's eligibility for the CPP. The company's sick note policy on xjt.com and the provisions in our collective bargaining agreement remain unchanged. The Federal Aviation Administration Regulations require pilots to assess their fitness for flight prior to each and every flight, and a pilot who calls in sick and meets the requirements of the company's sick note policy cannot be disciplined. Your ability to conduct safe operations should be your one and only consideration when determining your fitness for duty. To be clear, a pilot should only call in sick if he or she is unfit and should not call in sick if fit for duty. However, the company's attempt to circumvent and undermine our negotiated work rules while pressuring this decision is simply unacceptable.
Thus far, the CPP has mostly been used as a recruiting and retention tool. Any attempt to sell it as a career progression tool is bogus, as a majority of qualified XJT pilots are unable to progress through the program, L-ASA pilots have yet to be considered and many are still waiting on a second-round Hogan. The recruiting department has recently and unethically used the program to claim on social media that "thousands" of pilots have moved on to United Airlines through the CPP. This claim is false. Even if they were speaking collectively of all UAX CPP carriers, the total number of pilots who have progressed to UAL through the CPP is fewer than 500.
The use of such a terribly mismanaged program to attract pilots on the one hand while simultaneously placing additional pressure on our exploited pilot group on the other is a move the Association deems intolerable on every front. Continue, as you always have, to take professional assessment of your fitness to fly in accordance with the regulations in order to keep yourself, your crew and your passengers safe.
If this program is going to continue to be used to control the pilots at XJT rather than fixing the challenges through the proper channels, it will ultimately become a program your MEC cannot support.
In unity,
Over the past eight months, the Association has repeatedly requested information about what the next generation of the United Career Path Program (CPP) would look like, or if there will even be one going forward. Since its inception the CPP has been plagued with issues and there has been little to no communication with participants, or the Association for that matter, about potential fixes or what the future holds for pilots at XJT in terms of career progression. Our requests for information were designed to provide feedback to United and the company about ways to improve the program for all parties involved.
Yesterday, we finally received the company's first CPP communication in some time. This communication, strategically sent to a frustrated and exhausted pilot group over a holiday weekend, is language added to the CPP's attendance and reliability policy. The update states:
United recently made a revision to the "Dependability" section of the CPP program. Specifically, a statement has been added that states "A complete dependability history (excused and unexcused occurrences) will be reviewed by United' [sic] Board of Review (BOR)."
My preliminary discussions with the MECs of other CPP carriers indicate that this change is, to our present knowledge, exclusive to ExpressJet. While a majority of the attendance and reliability section of the CPP remains unchanged, the Association views yesterday's update as a pitifully desperate and unoriginal attempt by a similarly-versed management team to solve their mounting operational and staffing issues by threatening possible career repercussions if you call in sick. Our sick calls have increased, but this is no doubt due to the increased physical and psychological stress our pilots face — a symptom of the horrendous state of life on the line and management's inability to solve the staffing challenges they face. Quality of life has fallen to record lows at XJT, resulting in over-worked and over-extended pilots who, being human, then get sick.
This revision essentially results in two different sick policies for XJT pilots to abide by; the first is the company's current Attendance and Reliability Program policy and the second is outlined in the CPP guidelines to be used to determine a pilot's eligibility for the CPP. The company's sick note policy on xjt.com and the provisions in our collective bargaining agreement remain unchanged. The Federal Aviation Administration Regulations require pilots to assess their fitness for flight prior to each and every flight, and a pilot who calls in sick and meets the requirements of the company's sick note policy cannot be disciplined. Your ability to conduct safe operations should be your one and only consideration when determining your fitness for duty. To be clear, a pilot should only call in sick if he or she is unfit and should not call in sick if fit for duty. However, the company's attempt to circumvent and undermine our negotiated work rules while pressuring this decision is simply unacceptable.
Thus far, the CPP has mostly been used as a recruiting and retention tool. Any attempt to sell it as a career progression tool is bogus, as a majority of qualified XJT pilots are unable to progress through the program, L-ASA pilots have yet to be considered and many are still waiting on a second-round Hogan. The recruiting department has recently and unethically used the program to claim on social media that "thousands" of pilots have moved on to United Airlines through the CPP. This claim is false. Even if they were speaking collectively of all UAX CPP carriers, the total number of pilots who have progressed to UAL through the CPP is fewer than 500.
The use of such a terribly mismanaged program to attract pilots on the one hand while simultaneously placing additional pressure on our exploited pilot group on the other is a move the Association deems intolerable on every front. Continue, as you always have, to take professional assessment of your fitness to fly in accordance with the regulations in order to keep yourself, your crew and your passengers safe.
If this program is going to continue to be used to control the pilots at XJT rather than fixing the challenges through the proper channels, it will ultimately become a program your MEC cannot support.
In unity,
07-24-2019, 10:32 AM
#5
Line Holder
Joined APC: Dec 2018
Posts: 87
8 July 2019
Sick Leave Punishment
Due to the company's new policy that all sick calls (excused and unexcused) will be part of the Career Path Program (CPP) review process, many pilots are being pressured to either fly when they are sick, or chance being removed from the CPP just because they happen to experience an injury or illness. We believe this punishment for calling in sick goes against the FAA regulation to not fly when we are not fit for duty. If you have an illness or injury that prevents you from performing your duties, and you feel that you are being punished solely because you chose to follow FAA regulations and not fly, please submit an informational ASAP report stating as such. All ASAP reports are reviewed by representatives of the Association, the company and the FAA.
In Unity,
Sick Leave Punishment
Due to the company's new policy that all sick calls (excused and unexcused) will be part of the Career Path Program (CPP) review process, many pilots are being pressured to either fly when they are sick, or chance being removed from the CPP just because they happen to experience an injury or illness. We believe this punishment for calling in sick goes against the FAA regulation to not fly when we are not fit for duty. If you have an illness or injury that prevents you from performing your duties, and you feel that you are being punished solely because you chose to follow FAA regulations and not fly, please submit an informational ASAP report stating as such. All ASAP reports are reviewed by representatives of the Association, the company and the FAA.
In Unity,
07-24-2019, 10:35 PM
#9
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Sep 2011
Position: lav dumper
Posts: 707
I'm pretty sure this new United review of the entire employee file is bogus and can be grieved by the union if pilots request their attendance info past 12 months to be destroyed and it isn't.
Section 24.N.3 of the contract states:
3. Negative reports, material of an unfavorable nature, or documents related to discipline that are more than 12 months old may not be used to assess or support discipline, or make performance evaluations. If a pilot makes a request and such
documents are more than 12 months old and are no longer required to be retained by law, they will be removed from the pilot’s personnel file and promptly destroyed.
This paragraph will not apply to training or proficiency matters.
Section 24.N.3 of the contract states:
3. Negative reports, material of an unfavorable nature, or documents related to discipline that are more than 12 months old may not be used to assess or support discipline, or make performance evaluations. If a pilot makes a request and such
documents are more than 12 months old and are no longer required to be retained by law, they will be removed from the pilot’s personnel file and promptly destroyed.
This paragraph will not apply to training or proficiency matters.
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