gasnhaul

Never been involved in scheduling here or any of that process but this definitely caught my attention

SYSTEM-WIDE AVERAGE METRIC (SAM)
The weighted Credit Hour (CH) average of regular and secondary lines,all bid period package average BLGs system wide. Secondary lines that are constructed solely with reserve days shall not be included in the average.

Since SAM dictates all of our 4a2b and c and furlough options this might be a big deal but as mentioned I haven’t dealt with SIG issues so I don’t know if this helps us, hurts us or is a non factor. None of these changed items say who made the change so I’m curious as to who changed it and why…

Maineseaplane

Someone just told me :
SAM will no longer include secondaries but reserve lines. We will be in a position to trigger 4a2b quickly

PeterGriffin

Also, right now they are buying up secondary lines, with this new way of doing it, they can load up the secondary lines pretty fat with trips and R days while still being in 4a2c if it comes to that…kinda like the last time we were in 4a2b where at the end of it, reserves were flying way over RLG while we were still in 4a2b. This will be another loophole.

Smoked

According to a post on JF (yes, another "I heard it on the internet" story)...

But, it was said there that this change came from an ALPA SIG request. The change captures true secondary line numbers instead of the reduced secondary line numbers as was done in the past. This will keep the SAM higher which prolongs going into 4.a.2.b/c, which is good for us.

So which is it? Will this drive SAM lower or higher?

This is the exact verbiage:

SYSTEM-WIDE AVERAGE METRIC (SAM)
The weighted Credit Hour (CH) average of regular and secondary lines,all bid period package average BLGs system wide. Secondary lines that are constructed solely with reserve days shall not be included in the average.

PeterGriffin

Idk, looks to me like “all bid period package” means secondary lines will not count so they can run them up high on day one of signing and it won’t count with the SAM calculation…obviously I’ve been around long enough to assume worst case senario with this company

gasnhaul

This is what bothers me…and why it might be a BIG deal. I’d ask my rep but since he was one of the 13 yea votes I’m looking elsewhere.

BertMacklinFBI

I have to think that the company will just deflate the SAM and keep wet leasing at the lowest amount as not to incur a penalty forever at an absolute minimum. They will erode the SAM by using ground and belly freight and slow bleed it forever and ever until the robots finally come and take our jobs and our lives. Where is John Connor?!? I'm not very savvy with scope. I do have to think that the company is going to exploit this in the worst imaginable way. I was not a die on the hill scope guy, but with the new drive network, there can be zero trust. Vote it down.

Smoked

But aren't there more opportunities to cherry pick open time via the view/add window in this TA? SMU being the most obvious new addition. That should create less available flying for secondary line holders driving their BLGs down. Maybe that's why the SIG suggested secondary lines being excluded from the SAM.

Can always be manipulated I guess. I just don't see how they could increase the trips available for secondary lines to reduce BLGs on published trips in the bidpack. Yes, SMU will initially increase trips in the bucket, but will then be picked clean before secondaries are built. Everything else that normally feeds it remains the same, right? Training, vacation, MED, pay only, etc. Does the change to VBB affect this?

What am I missing?

PeterGriffin

Well, this only is an issue when we are knocking on the 4a2c door or are in it and trying to come out of it…they will fatten up secondary lines with reserve and when things start turning around, if they do, xtra pairings. I just don’t think we were the ones wasting negotiating capital on this section and obviously the company has big plans if they wanted this changed…

CloudSailor

What our NC is missing: not even most regionals, with all due respect to those brothers and sisters, have a company scheme that allows for a pilot to be bumped for training and not paid. It is ludicrous! This is a HUGE, HUGE loss and the 40% / 60% will be exploited by the company in ways we don't even understand yet. Be ready for all those senior FO's to bid up and over many of us, and as the musical chairs go round, with a concession-laden contract - any change that hurts some of our pilots' QOL, hurts ALL of our pilots' QOL. But real damage happens to our QOL, when CBA changes affect our senior pilots and senior flying. The sh*t rolls downhill in a bad way.

I was going to say explain to a newhire how we voluntarily gave up being paid while bumped for training, like everywhere else, for a make-believe 125% SMU. But, if this TA passes, I fully believe we will not see another newhire on property. As in, aircraft order cancelations, wet lease increases - wherever it makes a single $1 for the company, they will do it. In other words, look at this TA through the 'worst case scenario' lens, and then look at us resoundingly voting NO through the same lens. The choice of whether or not to flush this turd down is obvious.