(they are = they're , not their)

NK has absolutely, without any doubt, the best reserve grid language. There is not a single other company that is required to have 75% of the days green and cannot raise required reserve on weekends over week days. This is what makes drop to zero possible.

 

Thanks for the grammar correction. We don’t even have a res requirement. So in essence it’s 100% days green as far as res are concerned. Nk is worse at 75%. I know it’s hard to believe, most of our pilots don’t understand this. If you’re going to comment with absolutes at least know what you’re talking about. Misinformation is a real problem in negotiations.

It’s my understanding You’re at UAL now. Is it true there’s no contractual res number/% required for your opentime grid? The company can make it whatever they want at any time?

 

Seems like there's an argument down in the weeds about reserve grids, dropping to zero, other QoL items...

There's really is only 1 true litmus test to this whole thing. NO ONE from any legacy has ever voluntarily left their airline for the Qol items of NK, F9 or any other ULCC. Quite simply, the pay is SO MUCH greater, the only real way to make up for that via QoL items would be the company paying us to stay home at the rate of 4-5 days a month. In other words, all legacy is paid the equivalent of about a 20 hour trip more per month (without having to actually work those extra 20 hours).

The rate is THE MOST important aspect of the negotiation. Why? Because of one very simple but often forgotten (or not realized) fact. Most of the QoL provisions in EVERY contract are conditional - they aren't absolute. The provisions can often be easily manipulated or outright nullified by management actions. That is what has happened at F9 for this contract. Rest assured, no matter what QoL provisions we bargain for on the next one, there will be quite a few that can/will be eventually negated by mgt actions.

 

So every pilot could drop every trip they have at F9? That is awesome, you don't even need to go on strike, just drop everything as there is no restrictions!!

Yes I am UAL. Yes, the way red/green, reserve grid rules, dropping trips, all premium @ 200% worked out for the group was IMHO better at NK. Rest of the contract, well, I went to UAL, and not sad.

 

never said there was no restrictions. It’s just not based on res coverage. Which can become a problem depending on staffing and res usage. Management’s res staffing levels are never the pilots problem. Opentime side of the equation should be relatively the same.
NK premium language and no drop fence is up there with the best but not nk grid language imo. Which you mentioned was the best no questions asked. You just mixed 3 separate provisions that work together but are separate negotiated provisions. Happy to hear you’re not sad. I don’t wish that on any pilot.

 

Sure, nobody leaves the legacies, but not everyone leaves the ULCCs either. The pay really isn't that much different if you take into account that seniority progression at the ULCCs was faster before covid than at the legacies. I was 25% company wide after 5 years at NK. To get to 50% as a NB captain at DL/AA/WN/UA would have taken a decade longer. I would normally block 60, credit 90. Pick the days I would work, home every holiday, premium if I wanted it. And I still told everyone to go to the legacies, because in the long run it is better. It worked for me till it didn't.

 

IMO staffing and res usage is a different spelling for reserve grid. And yes, it is the combination of those 3 provisions that makes NK language better than most if not all. Drop to zero is allowed at WN, but the grid has been red for the last 20 years, so nobody has been able to drop a single multi day trip in decades. Previous contract allowed reserves to checkerboard, that was even better. At NK the company has to maintain the same amount of reserves every day for the month, no extra reserves required for the weekend allowed. And it has to be set high enough that 75% of the days are green, based on historic numbers. Leads to higher staffing and more premium at the same time. How is F9 superior, honest Q?

 

Unfortunately this is no longer the case for the grid. There is now a history of more sick calls, etc over weekends and the grid is actually now higher over weekends while still maintaining the 75% green coverage at the start of IOT. It's a rough change, but there was technically nothing in the contract that said all days must be equal. Just that 75% of the grid is green. The company found a loophole.

 

nk grid= open time vs res coverage.

f9 grid= open time vs a pre determined number based on domicile size that doesn’t change as the bid period goes on.

Both have similar company ability to restrict 25% of the days when daily opens. Your side that’s res coverage can only get worse as the month plays out. Res goes to a legacy, Res calls in sick, Res is assigned a 4 day, ect…..

There could be literally no res and it won’t affect a drop/swap. We don’t care about reserve staffing/coverage until 72 hrs before a sequence show when it becomes a factor.

 

That was probably the original intent of the 25% red. Weekends/holidays after unstacking limits left a bunch of flying on those days.