So at CAL we voted about a year ago to offer VRF (voluntary reduced flying) to mitigate or reduce our furloughs. As a current CAL pilot, you can select to do reduced flying (either a 7 or 11 day stretch off) and then scheduling blocks those days off on your schedule and you get a reduced paycheck. It had good intentions and gave pilots extra days off to spend time with family or pursue their other hobbies.

Well, go figure, some greedy pilots at CAL are using it to their advantage. I will explain. A pilot can select a 7 or 11 day VRF, which blocks those days off. Now scheduling is letting pilots override their VRF days and pick up open time pairings that are meant for the reserve pilots or for line pilots to improve their schedules. These greedy pilots at CAL are taking an 11 day VRF line, and then cherry picking all of the trips to build their pay back up to a normal line value. THIS WAS NOT THE INTENTION!

I propose that CAL union either gets rid of VRF or we block anyone from picking up trips on their VRF days! Why do I rant, well because I have 4 friends that would love to come back to CAL and sit reserve rather than be furloughed. Is there anything that can be done people? Thoughts on how please post here!

 

I agree with your position. Have you done anything to bring this to the Union's attention? Email your reps or Jay Pierce. You could bring it up on the one of the conference calls. You may find that putting it up on the Union web board may even elicit a response from the union leadership. Writing about it anonymously on an open chatroom may get it off your chest, but accomplishes nothing more.

 

Probably the same guys who were proud to show you their 95 hour lines while you guys were furloughing in 2002 or 2003? Whenever the second furlough was. Was it CAL that had Captains picking up trips as FO's recently?

I wish you guys the best of luck cleaning house and getting rid of some of the jackasses on your seniority list. You've got a lot of good people that deserve better than to deal with them.

 

Might I add that CALALPA keeps signing off on the VRF while our reserves (ME) are blocking 90 hours a month. ***?

 

First of all, you are confusing two (actually 3) different programs.

Yes, two years ago, as part of the furlough mitigation, the pilot group voted on a package of things which included early retirement enhancements, 18-month leaves and also 18-month long-term voluntary reduced flying LTVRF). That LTVRF essentially "saved" 1 job for every 4 that signed up in each BES since it was a 25% reduction in pay. (Let's not start the argument of if the company really needed to furlough or not, etc. We all know the real story on that at CAL.) That LTVRF started October 2008 and ended March 2010. I actually shared mine with a few different guys because I didn't want to do 18 months alone, so some guys I knew wanted in on some reduced flying as well.

LTVRF #2 came about because of the second possible furlough notice sent out last summer. The union and the company came up with a six month LTVRF deal that allowed pilots to bid for six months of reduced flying. Pilots could try to get either the first or second half of each month off by putting in their request to Crew Planning. Pilots who submitted their requests were awarded the LTVRF for the 6 months based on seniority (senior guys of course wanted last half because they got Thanksgiving and Christmas off guaranteed). I could easily afford six months at half pay so I did one and was happy for the time away from the company. That LTVRF went from October 2009 to March 2010 bid periods.

The RF you are talking about is SHORT TERM REDUCED FLYING. This is month-to-month reduced flying that is available per the contract if anticipated block hours per BES go below a certain amount. Pilots can put in for it, but there is no obligation for the company to award it if circumstances change after announcing their availability. Again, this is month-to-month. It is part of the current contract that was voted in back in 2003, not part of any extra negotiated item to mitigate furloughs that you might be thinking of. THAT VRF is the 7- or 11-day off block of days you are thinking of.

So just a correction on what you stated.

However, I agree with your premise. If you bid for one of these monthly VRFs and get awarded one, you should not be able to build your line back up. But, you know the company and the staffing situation. They obviously couldn't plan correctly and offered these things. Now they are stuck short-handed and will of course waive the blocked days if you volunteer to fly. So it comes down to greedy pilots as you say.