TheBaron Deux

WOW! Health insurance costing us 200% of what it costs us now. How can I ever hope to pay that when I'm only getting a 10% raise? That's 20 times bigger than my raise! Will I have to write the company a check each month?
Oh...I see what you did. Used those scary percentages. Kind of like when a company brags about their business revenue increasing 1000% from the previous year (and not sharing that they earned $10 this year vs. $1 last year.) Nobody wants to pay more for insurance, but everybody does. I think I'll be able to afford the extra $270 a month with my extra $26K+ a year. Now it doesn't look so scary.

busdriver12

I agree about the using percentages, that doesn't really mean much to me. However, your extra $270 per month ends up turning into $3,240 per year, add some extra things you have to pay for in your plan, the fact that it goes up every year, and the unknown as far as the Cadillac tax. Are you really happy about paying for the health care increases with your raise? I guess it's not so much of a raise as you expected, particularly since your raise is taxed, and you pay medicare and union dues on it.

For example, my 30K/yr raise ends up becoming about $16,410 after the government and the union takes their cut. Subtract that $3,240, and well, that's about one fifth of my raise. Not much of a raise after all.

BlackKnight

Nice summation. In addition, it's not a raise it's a COLA...

TonyC

Let's try this without percentages.

The last block of the Negotiating Committee's Healthcare cost "spreadsheet" analysis is a table showing a Narrow-Body First Officer's pay rate gains. (TA Compare of current to projected pilot contributions).

In 2017, for example, that pilot will make $8,380 more per year, or $698 more per month (average). What it doesn't show is that the same pilot will receive an additional contribution to his B Fund, as a result of both the pay rate increase and the 1% bump in Defined Contribution Plan contribution, of $108.38 per month.

His additional health care cost, if he's on the Buy Up plan for himself and his family, is $120.74.


He'll essentially be paying for his own B Plan bump. Even worse, the B Fund money was never going to be in his checking account, but the Healthcare cost will be deducted before it even gets to him.






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Raptor

Everyone is looking at premiums only. Your prescription costs essentially triple under this TA. Your out of pocket maximum which is very important if you want an out of network specialist under the buy-up plan, triples to over $9000.

If you haven't needed to see a specialist, or haven't had a family member on an expensive drug, it may not be on your radar. But, over the next 10 years I bet that will happen to a pretty significant number of pilot families.

Are you willing to play the Heath care lottery and only factor in simple premiums that are doubling? Rx or specialist costs can easily surpass monthly premium costs!

TheBaron Deux

The problem with your example is you continue to use the "New Hire" rates to demonstrate how bad this is. So this hypothetical pilots insurance goes up $120.74 a month from 2016 to 2017. That implies, worst case, he was a new hire in 2016. In 2017, when his insurance rate increases, his pay rate will also increase from 69.31 to 133.61. Not the mere $8380/year you point out, but a nice $64,300 (not including the additional $5144 contribution to his B-fund.)

The only legitimate argument you can make is that a new hire in 2021 will pay a higher percentage of his overall pay (9.2%) to cover his health care costs than a new hire in 2016 (7.2%) (or 17,18,19,or 2020) had to. But he'll still have considerably more dollars in his pocket thanks to the 26% pay raise over the life of the TA. Without the new TA, the same holds true. Our insurance rates will continue to increase up to 6% a year and we get no pay raise (less dollars in my pocket.)

TonyC

I used the same example that the Negotiating Committee used to demonstrate how affordable our health care insurance will be. Did they pick the wrong one? Are their numbers wrong?






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jetstar1

Baron Part Deux,

I am not trying to be confrontational but wanted to ask a question. I think the TA was oversold from the beginning of negotiations. I do not think that the NC delivered what they set out to. I do see only minor improvements in this TA. I understand the no voters being so strong in their opinions, I don't understand why you feel so strongly about this TA?
Again I am not trying to be confrontational. I have read everyones comments and have tried to see this from both sides.

TheBaron Deux

The numbers are fine...the way you used them is misleading. If a pilots insurance rate increases, that implies he was paying some rate the prior year. Worst case, they were a new hire the prior year. At some point in the following year...when they see the increase in insurance rates, they will also transition to year 2 pay. Using new hire pay, as the NC did in the chart, shows the effect of the rate increase at its worst possible. Everyones situation is going to be different dependent on their career progression and family make up.
So yes, worst case in 2021 I'll be paying 7276.08 a year for the buy-up plan instead of current book (for 2021) 4341.24...an extra 2934.84 a year. Ill also be making an additional $110K+ (NB 11 year Captain to WB 15 year Captain) yearly, not including my B-fund bump.

The Walrus

Now you've done it. A seat change is not a pay raise.