Substitution is the New Norm
 

Welcome to the new normal. Gauge changes and resulting substitution is going to be the new normal going forward. With the FedEx DRIVE program optimized to "right size" the equipment to the expected loads, we can all expect the Domestic network to be filled with gauge changes on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis. We are already seeing the beginnings of it with the numerous X pairings that dropped to OT this past week. It happened in all domestic fleets and from what I can tell, nearly all of them were as a result of gauge changes.

What does this mean for pilots? It means the schedule that you bid, no matter how senior, can be taken from you and you will be placed in substitution. Let's call a spade a spade. Substitution is pseudo-reserve. You are not pay protected. Sure, you can deny anything they give to you, but you better be prepared to work on your other days off to make up that pay. So you can either fly what they give you (even if it's worse than what your seniority could have held), or attempt to find something in the minimal OT to ensure you actually get a paycheck.

Many from years past will tell you that substitution wasn't given much thought as needing to be fixed in this contract because it wasn't used that often. That may have been the case then, but it will not be so going forward. FedEx has never done the type of analysis on every revenue leg that they are doing now. In the past if the jet was empty, it was empty, it still went. If the load on a 767 would have fit on a 757, didn't matter, the 767 was going. That will not be the case any more. Fine, it's a wise business decision to ensure the proper equipment is serving the proper market. We all get that. But that doesn't mean the pilot group should be subject to all being on pseudo-reserve and not fully pay protected due to the trip being cancelled.

Pay close attention over the next few months on how this all plays out. Watch the Xtra trips you see. Go find what the original trip and equipment was. Find the schedule of the pilot that was put in sub and see just how good their new schedule ends up being. I bet you'll be shocked. There is a current 76 trip out there (the guy posted it on JF so not hard to find) who is in sub every single week next month. The company has so far dropped a random assortment of multiple trips on his schedule that are infinitely worse than what he had. Luckily, he had days trips originally and can decline them. That won't be the case for most folks. Additionally, because the company has put random trip on his schedule that both they and he know he will never accept, they are essentially hiding open time trips by putting them on his schedule. Those are all trips that someone else might rather have, but they will remain tied up until he eventually declines them. Why not decline them now then? Because that will just give the company more time to find trips that he WOULD have to accept (or go to OTP).

Pay attention y'all. This is our new normal on the domestic side. When a TA comes out and substitution isn't fixed, or increased as is rumored, make sure you vote accordingly.

Finally, don't believe those who claim that if we want improvements (notice I said improvements) to Sub that we must give up line bidding, vacation, or retirement. That just isn't true.

bUt wHaT aRe yOu WiLlInG tO gIvE uP?

iF yOu WaNt To GeT RiD oF SUB wE HaVe tO gIvE tHeM PBS

We already have PBS, but you forgot to mention our vacation, lol.

In all seriousness, we need to determine what the solution is here. Get rid of Sub? Probably pretty hard. Improvements? That I think is possible. There has to be a compromise here that doesn't include the possibility of you having a bunch of one day AM out and backs when you are a commuter and you had previously held a DDH with good layovers. Yes you can decline, but they you have to work extra to rebuild your schedule.

For those on the outside (UPS, Delta, United, AA, etc) can anyone weigh in on how it works when the company cancels your trip, specifically due to gauge change? Are you pay protected? What extra pay do you get if you fly a different trip? What is your obligation window? Any type of trip or only one that meets certain parameters? Can you decline? I keep hearing about "industry standard" but I want to know exactly how that plays out at each of the other spots.

I came from an LCC. If your trip cancels, it’s removed from your schedule and you are pay protected. Period. Dot. End of story.

Wanna pick up straight time or premium over the footprint? Go ahead. Still protected. Your premium pickup cancels? Guess what, still pay protected for BOTH trips.

Reassignment over your footprint? Pays 200% and they can only do it twice a year without pilot consent.

Folks that have never flown anywhere else don’t have any clue how much of a joke our sub and scheduling section is. The company gets to reassign with impunity and they take any opportunity they can to exploit the language. I would have never come here if I had realized how bad the contract was in this area. Frankly unreal that anyone voted yes to this crap.

The only viable solution is to get rid of it. If they company wants to change gauge for my entire month's schedule or even just one trip, the only acceptable solution is to release me with pay.

Then let me go pick up OT if there is any, or if I need a landing I can go PDO bump someone off of a trip to get that done.

Any other solution is unreasonable.

THIS THIS THIS.

Guys like KT on jetflyers and our senior cadre who never flew elsewhere or only got to experience working under bankruptcy contract at a legacy don't have any clue how bad our work rules really are compared to the rest of the industry.

The company imposed the current substitution rules between the FCH and our first contract. Then they became part of our first contract. No one really likes them, but that's how they came about.

At UPS, if your trip is revised greater than 36 hours out you can decline the revision but it is not pay protected. You cannot currently pickup over the original footprint, although there are grievances for this. Inside of 36 hours, the company owns the trip and they can revise you to their hearts content. A 2 hour premium is owed for each revision. We like to say we are all a 2 hour premium away from being on reserves…

Hopefully FDX and UPS get some improvements to this in the next CBA. My understanding is the AA/DAL NB guys get rerouted frequently with no premiums. DAL got stackable reroute/sit/after midnight premiums added in their newest contract.

Well aware of the history, but the fact that it is still in our contract, 4 contracts later, that's the "wtf" part.

"Nobody really likes them" isn't 100% accurate. There's at least 2-3 shills that defend SUB over on JF every day.