Negotiations Finally
10-18-2025 | 11:12 AM
#31
Line Holder
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,357
Likes: 133
So if you want a lot of nothing for a long while since the five have no plan except to go to a strike. Vote to recall 1 and 8. If you want progress keep them in. Delaying isn’t going to get us anywhere but making money for Raj and losing for us.
10-18-2025 | 03:32 PM
#32
Aspiring PSA Captain
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 1,137
Likes: 193
I cannot let this lie pass.
The 2015 FedEx pilots' contract (C2015) has been widely criticized as concessionary, failing to keep pace with industry standards and resulting in significant losses for pilots. Below is a detailed breakdown of its key shortcomings, focusing on pay, scheduling, and benefits.
In an earnings call immediately following TA ratification, our founder and CEO called it, "contract neutral."
The 2015 FedEx pilots' contract (C2015) has been widely criticized as concessionary, failing to keep pace with industry standards and resulting in significant losses for pilots. Below is a detailed breakdown of its key shortcomings, focusing on pay, scheduling, and benefits.
Pay Rates
- Initial Gain, Rapid Decline: C2015 briefly raised top pay rates slightly above American Airlines (AA), but within months, FedEx trailed AA, Delta (DAL), and United (UAL). By mid-2017, pay rates lagged behind UPS, DAL, AA, and UAL.
- Long-Term Lag: The six-year contract term caused FedEx pilots to miss an entire industry contract cycle, including UPS’s extension. As a result, pay rates remained substandard for nearly eight years.
- Narrow-Body Pay: FedEx narrow-body pay rates failed to match UPS’s, further eroding competitiveness.
Scheduling and Bidding
- System Bids and Training: Pilots sought smaller system bids and the ability to choose training timing, standard in the industry. Instead:
- Loss of Passover Pay: C2015 eliminated passover pay, which previously compensated pilots at higher rates when bypassed for upgrades, impacting 401(k) contributions, B-fund, vacation buyback, training, and office pay.
- Slot Denial Pay (SDP): Introduced SDP, but it’s rarely paid out. The company controls training type and timing, negating pilots’ ability to bid for preferred training slots.
- No Smaller Bids: The company retained control over bid sizes and training schedules, offering no meaningful improvements.
- Loss of Passover Pay: C2015 eliminated passover pay, which previously compensated pilots at higher rates when bypassed for upgrades, impacting 401(k) contributions, B-fund, vacation buyback, training, and office pay.
- Reserve Lines and Secondary Line Generator (SLG):
- Reduced Reserve Lines: C2015 split trips into daytime and nighttime for reserve coverage, recycling conflicted reserve days into the SLG. This reduced reserve lines by nearly 50%, minimizing and optimizing reserve manning.
- Impact on Flexibility: Minimal manning restricts line holders and reserve pilots from adjusting schedules.
- SLG Delay: A decade later, the promised new SLG system remains unimplemented, leaving pilots with outdated tools.
- Reduced Reserve Lines: C2015 split trips into daytime and nighttime for reserve coverage, recycling conflicted reserve days into the SLG. This reduced reserve lines by nearly 50%, minimizing and optimizing reserve manning.
Additional Concessions
- Draft Pay: 150% versus their 200%
- B-Fund: Failed to match UPS’s more generous retirement contributions.
- First-Class Seats: Lost access to international first-class seats, a benefit secured in prior contracts by giving up pay but surrendered in C2015 due to poor negotiation of contract language.
Strategic Failures
C2015 reflects a strategic misstep by the union, which failed to anticipate airline industry trends. The contract’s long duration, combined with concessions on pay, scheduling, and benefits, left FedEx pilots at a disadvantage compared to peers at UPS, AA, DAL, and UAL. The company outmaneuvered the union in contract language, securing terms that prioritized corporate control and cost savings over pilot interests.Conclusion
C2015 was a concessionary contract that weakened FedEx pilots’ position relative to industry peers. It resulted in lower pay, reduced scheduling flexibility, and diminished benefits, with long-term consequences still felt a decade later. The union’s inability to secure competitive terms underscores the need for stronger negotiation strategies in future contracts.In an earnings call immediately following TA ratification, our founder and CEO called it, "contract neutral."
10-18-2025 | 06:17 PM
#34
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,223
Likes: 66
From: Legacy FO
The FO Super Negotiator is going to bring FedEx pilots a concessionary contract. At best, TA1 with a tiny little sprinkle on top. The company is negotiating because they own the MEC7 and they can get a concessionary contract passed. That's why there's movement suddenly.
10-18-2025 | 06:34 PM
#35
Thx Age 65
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,069
Likes: 26
From: MD11CAP
The 5 Tc puppets are incapable of independent thought. The others were part of the initial burn it down movement, but at least they can admit to themselves when adm stockdale as portrayed by Phil Hartman clone jg is making zero progress and are willing to try something else.
10-18-2025 | 07:09 PM
#36
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,223
Likes: 66
From: Legacy FO
The 2015 FedEx pilots' contract (C2015) is concessionary, as it failed to keep pace with industry standards and resulted in significant losses.
Pay Rates: we briefly topped American by a couple of dollars, but within a couple of months we trailed AA, DAL and UAL. By mid-2017, we trailed UPS.
The contract length caused us to miss a bargaining cycle, further putting us behind. During COVID, UPS secured their extension pay increase as FedEx pilots were laughing about how it didn't meet inflation. FedEx's narrow body pay rate is still far below UPS's.
Scheduling and Bidding:
Pilots wanted smaller system bids and the ability to control when you go to training (industry standard). We got neither. System bids still take years. Company controls the type of training available, so slow denial pay is rarely paid. We lost passover pay which was a huge giveback as pop paid into 401K, b-fund, vacation buyback, training pay and office pay.
Trips were broken into day and night period trips. Reserve days in conflict (vacation, training) were added into the VTO lines which caused a near 50% reduction in reserve lines, manning. The SLG maximizes efficiency by optimizing reserve manning. This reduces line holders and reserve pilots ability to change their schedules. (minimum manning)
After 10 years, we still don't have the new Secondary Ling Generator. TEN YEARS !!!
We lost first class seats due to poor contract language. We previously secured FC seats in previous contracts by giving up pay.
Draft pays 150% while theirs pays 200%
Our B-fund 9%, UPS 12%
C2015 was a strategic misstep by the union, which failed to anticipate airline industry trends. C2015 was a concessionary contract. We know so because in an earnings call immediately following TA ratification, our founder and CEO called it, "contract neutral."
10-18-2025 | 07:16 PM
#37
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,223
Likes: 66
From: Legacy FO
The 5 Tc puppets are incapable of independent thought. The others were part of the initial burn it down movement, but at least they can admit to themselves when adm stockdale as portrayed by Phil Hartman clone jg is making zero progress and are willing to try something else.
We gave up leverage with the 4.A.2.fu settlement.
Enjoy your concessionary contract, assuming it passes. And it will by 50.1%. And just like today with C2015, five years from now you won't be able to find a yes voter.
10-18-2025 | 07:24 PM
#40
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,223
Likes: 66
From: Legacy FO
How many times did we hear from the MEC Chair during the past few weeks that we have leverage during peak? Then the NC negotiated away 4.A.2.fu and a good chunk of our leverage. We were gaining momentum with airplanes not flying.
Trust me, this is going to be looked back at as the moment we shot ourselves in the foot.
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