Negative. Probationary members, and therefore the majority of FOs, cannot vote.

 

Interesting...thanks.

 

Have yet to run into one person with anything negative to say, been in and out of crew rooms on a trip since it came out.

 

Two days ago I was in the EWR crew room and everyone who was in there seemed to like it. Yesterday I was in and out of IAD one time and there seemed to be a general feeling of no. Like I said, totally anecdotal and unscientific.

It's interesting to note that the majority of people it's designed to help, FOs, can't vote.

My own feeling is that it would be stupid not to capture the commuting language and hotels that are currently being offered and deal with pay rates in upcoming negotiations as it doesn't change the amendable date of the current contract. There's no guarantee that the company would simply raise the rates and put another offer on the table should the pilot group vote this down. But again, I can't vote.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's going to pass. But I'm less certain of that than I was when it first came out on Monday.

 

Definite no vote right here, and I know of quite a few others who are voting no. The proposed captain raise is pathetic. I compared regionals using 3rd year pay (probably the most our FO's will see) across the board, CA pay averages 1.71x FO pay. Our current CA pay is 1.66x FO pay. The new rates would then change the ratio to 1.51x which is the lowest of any regional, and our captains are still the lowest paid. Also, FO's Q300 pay is eliminated, that is a concession. Remember that management came to us, not the other way around.

 

Not arguing your other points, but as an FO I've got no issue giving up the Q300 override in exchange for $7 raises for 1st and 2nd year pay. Then again, I'm IAD based so I rarely see the 300 anyway.

 

It's a small concession, I'll give you that. My main point is that until the captain rates increase at least equal to FO's it should be voted down. You don't take the first offer from a used car salesman, why should we take this?

 

Let's not forget that this is a LOA, not contract negotiations. Minus the q300 override for fo's, this is a FREE raise. Why not take the money, 4 free hotels a month, etc? Within a year we'll enter negotiations for a new contract and we'll have a new "bar" to bargain better things from. In the mean time, we can get some new-hires in the door and keep this place afloat. If we don't do something, and fast, we will be in the same boat as Silver and Great Lakes.

 

The union and the company also made it clear the whole point of this LOA was to attract and retain FO's. A credible source said that if this is voted down, the pilot group gets nothing and new-hires get a $20,000 sign-on bonus with a training contract (2-years probably.) After all, the problem is retaining FO's, not captains. Would you rather get a raise for the whole pilot group and some other improvements, or give it all to new-hires?

 

Read the LOA, the hotels can only be used the night before a trip or reserve block. Get extended or delayed and miss your commute home and the hotel provision doesn't apply. I would rather get the money up front and do whatever I like with it.