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Save my job! CAL system bid and RFL

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Save my job! CAL system bid and RFL

Old 08-15-2009, 05:29 AM
  #1  
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Default Save my job! CAL system bid and RFL

Many of you have seen that CAL is doing a system bid reducing the amount of pilots. I'm at the bottom and in jeopardy of getting kicked to the streets.


It always seems that when I am around pilots senior to me they always cringe, get that sad face and feel bad for me. Then they pat my shoulder and say "I hope you get to stay." Now, there is an opportunity for these pilots to take action and save a job for a junior pilot.

The Union worked hard to create a mitigation program with the company. Please consider taking the RFL. Sign up! 300 people will keep every pilot on property on this bid.

It's only 6 months long. You can pick up as much flying from open and advertised trips. If you're on LTVRF currently, make the switch so that it will count towards mitigation.

Read the bulletin on CCS. Make a difference to a fellow union pilot!


HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RFL LOA
(Taken from the CAL MEC CrewsNews)
• Pilot participation is strictly voluntary
• RFL duration: October 2009 through March 2010
• Pilots will have guaranteed specific days off (first 15 days or last 15 days off ) and a minimum of 21 total days off with RFL (unlike LTVRF)
• No special restriction on pilot’s ability to increase line value
• The RFL is twice as effective in reducing furloughs as the LTVRF from last year (two for one, instead of four for one in job savings)
• Pilots currently on LTVRF will be allowed to switch to the new RFL program and terminate their LTVRF early
• The LTVRF freeze is lifted for the reduction bid (10-08)
• For every two LTVRF pilots that switch to RFL, one additional position will be added to the 10-08 System Bid award
• Company to award matching sets of first half / last half in a BES
• Available to lineholders and reserves
• Allows lineholder participants to pick up advertisements and open time, even during absence
• RFL bid will be open for ten (10) days and will end concurrently with the reduction bid
• Benefit accrual requirement for RFL participants dropped to 20 hours from the previous 40 hour requirement
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Old 08-15-2009, 08:04 AM
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I am all for this effort, EXCEPT that if you take it you can pick up open time...I have been a hostage for more than ten months now, and I HOPE that you don't have to go through what me and my family have had to go through!! Face the facts..being a HOSTAGE is being a HOSTAGE...when cal approached the union last year and offered NO furloughs for relief on scope, well, that says it all. There is no need to furlough one soul from cal...that is whyI am against the open time pick up section of this agreement..they jr. man almost daily, roll days daily, double dip daily..this company is so short it is sad..the saddest part is that it is gonna take a major unification effort on the part of pilots to put an end to this..imagine that, a unification effort with a bunch of scabs, picking up open time left and right, flying rt. seat. I have a lot of hope with the shaking of the trees with the new breed union folks..but the sooner this company ADMITS they are short, real short, and calls back people instead of furloughing the sooner this company can move fwd. Once again, I hope you and everyone on property make the cut, and I hope that the scumbags stop the insanity...work your a$$ off all you want with NO ONE on the street, but when we have folks losing houses, probably facing divorces, or at least a super strained relationships, cars gettin repoed, etc..imho, this is blood money. can't wait to go back, but it would be a lot sooner if my coworkers did the right thing.
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Old 08-15-2009, 05:39 PM
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Originally Posted by socalflyboy View Post
being a HOSTAGE is being a HOSTAGE...when cal approached the union last year and offered NO furloughs for relief on scope, well, that says it all.
What it says is that the joint venture would have created enough jobs at CAL for you to keep yours.


Originally Posted by socalflyboy View Post
..they jr. man almost daily, roll days daily, double dip daily..this company is so short it is sad..
Where do you get your information, especially being furloughed?
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Old 08-15-2009, 06:12 PM
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What it says is that the joint venture would have created enough jobs at CAL for you to keep yours.
Source? Number of jobs? Etc.
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Old 08-15-2009, 08:59 PM
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Originally Posted by bfull View Post
What it says is that the joint venture would have created enough jobs at CAL for you to keep yours. what joint venture?? Cal told the union summer of 08, "give up some scope relief, and we will NOT furlough" that is from my union reps.




Where do you get your information, especially being furloughed?
It is this thing called forums..just like this one, but for cal pilots only..and oh yeah, they b!tch daily about rolling days off, double dipped on rsv...and jr. manning almost daily. Just because you are a hostage, does not mean that you cannot get intel!!
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Old 08-16-2009, 05:12 AM
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For a while now I have been convinced that the person posting as "bfull" was either one of the quasi-management types within CALALPA, or a full blown "compensated as management" pilot. It is quite obvious however that these anti-pilot posts are being composed by an ousted former member of the negotiating committee who still has an ax to grind (but few are listening). Perhaps he should throw a chair or something instead.

It is starting to become perfectly clear. The woes are all vindictive retribution for not waiving scope and taking the JVLOA like the enema it was.

The bottom line is that reducing flying in an attempt to keep pilots on board is a dead end. Eventually fixed pilot costs will start to outweigh any savings gained. Concurrent with sailing on a path to punish pilots for wanting scope protection, CAL management has lost the vision of growth and competition. Unfortunately when they compare past measures of pilot productivity with use rates under the new anemic flying hours there are too many pilots. Management will continue to disengage from the market as much as they can, to dwindle the ranks of vocal newer pilots until they can manipulate those who are left.

Don't blame your furlough and future uncertainty on your fellow pilots for not taking reduced lines, nor on the scab that answers the call to fly in the right seat. Place it squarely where it belongs; on labor hating management that has a failing business model, with too many people at the top making their way on the backs of everyone else.

If you do time in the Hanoi Hilton, rest assured there will be some of us fighting to get you restored ASAP and we'll attempt to keep the erosion to a minimum while you are gone, so that you'll have something to come back to.
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Old 08-16-2009, 07:07 AM
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Originally Posted by Captain Bligh View Post
It is quite obvious however that these anti-pilot posts are being composed by an ousted former member of the negotiating committee who still has an ax to grind (but few are listening)..
I am certain that in my modest 5 posts on this board I have not posted anything anti-pilot.
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Old 08-16-2009, 09:38 AM
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For your 6th, and modest post, could you present some facts and figures to substantiate your pro CAL pilot musing?


What it says is that the joint venture would have created enough jobs at CAL for you to keep yours.
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Old 08-16-2009, 12:50 PM
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Originally Posted by socalflyboy View Post
I am all for this effort, EXCEPT that if you take it you can pick up open time...I have been a hostage for more than ten months now, and I HOPE that you don't have to go through what me and my family have had to go through!! ................

I can certainly sympathize with you being furloughed as I've been there and done that FOUR times. But having pilots mitigate the number of furloughs with VRF's and reduced flying and then telling them they CAN'T pick up any open time is like telling them to just quit so you can get your job back. I support EVERY effort to get our pilots back, but if you start putting too many restrictions on the guys VOLUNTEERING for reduced flying, you'll never see anyone volunteer for those types of lines again. Is that what you really want? CAL management seems to be on their own agenda, and with load factors of 89% for the past 1.5 months STRAIGHT, I can't for the life of me see how or why we're literally shutting down half of the EWR B737 flying. Last year we had 580 B737 CA's flying their butts off, and now were reducing that to 292? I haven't had but a handful of empty seats on my last 7 pairings, and they're cutting flights? Something just doesn't make sense. I'm holding a line for September and won't even be able to hold CA in a couple of weeks? Something is definitely going on. Too bad it's the employees and NOT management that's getting kicked in the balls.....AGAIN.
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Old 08-16-2009, 04:34 PM
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I will confess that I don't have complete knowledge of how the negotiations are tactfully carried out, nor do I know the skill levels involved in using leverage, or acquiring leverage. With that said...and complete compassion for those on the bottom of the seniority list....I'm beginning to come to the following conclusion.
Management likes to play with the staffing levels as leverage. Threatening furloughs....base reductions....base additions....satellite bases (as soon as we implement PBS)....on and on. They throw out a number.....and then the union has to scramble around to try to mitigate job losses. This is a question, and again....fully aware of our pilots on the bottom of the list....at some point should the union stand up and say, no....furlough....close bases...what ever....you figure it out....call us when your done. It seems we are very slowly negotiating with the company on a new set of standards every time the company desires. I don't want anybody to lose their job, but at some point...I feel this has to stop.
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