You don't want a sick out!

I'm no lawyer but I don't think there is a problem with discouraging fellow pilots from volunteering for extra work assignments. You don't want to make threats but reminders should be OK. Especially when you have brothers who are out on furlough.

 

There isn't going to be any sick out this year. Our pilot group is just to apathetic to even do that... besides, it's illegal. You'll get an increase in sick calls, but those people were going to call out for the holidays regardless. Happens every year...

 

Keep in mind that when you call in sick on a holiday or any other time where the company is "vulnerable", you just end up screwing one of your fellow pilots. The company WILL find a way to staff the flight and junior manning a senior pilot that has "earned" the right to either have Christmas off or finish early in the day on Christmas is not fair to them, in my opinion.....
FWIW, I am on short call reserve this month, so I am not one of the individuals of whom I speak....

 

if a senior pilot answers his phone on Christmas morning he is retarded and should desirve to have to work. Come on it is 2008 almost 2009, when ever the evil empire calls me it says COMAIR DON'T ANSWER, this new caller ID thing is amazing. If you do answer there is nothing like a little egg nog with some rum to warm up a Christmas morning while you aree out of town. If you are that stupid then you should have to work.

 

100% agreed, but it's a more likely scenario for Comair to extend and tag someone beyond their checkout time after a trip.

But yea, i never

EVER have answered an 859 area code number. I always let it go to voicemail, and if you're retarded enough not to screen your calls around thanksgiving, the holidays and new years..then have fun..you deserve it!

 

Last time I got jr manned it wasn't answering the phone on Christmas morning, it was in the middle of a 2 day trip and the trip I was jr manned to didn't start for 2 days. No way out of it that I could see. If they are going to be that short over the holidays look for the fun to start EARLY. How are you going to dodge the bullet when they already have the Christmas trip added to your line before you check out on the 20th???? Forget to checkout? Won't work, manual requires you to checkout, that's been tried.

 

That was when SBS pretty much guaranteed a successful checkout..Maestro..not so much..if you just call and say "hey it wouldn't let me check out" without giving too many details..you might just get em to say ok we'll take care of it..and then SEEEE YAAAAAAA

 

I agree with you totally. It would be a good idea to bring this up to the MEC. I would go so far as to get the advice of an attorney since we're already dumping money into a merger fund. If the company can use the BK process to dump a contract then ALPA can use sworn testimony from company management to find out why we're being shrunk into oblivion despite our concessions. I'll be the first to admit it won't do squat but neither will beaatching about e-monster, etc.

 

I believe that the language in the contract stipulates a minimum number of airframes that we have, not block hours. So even though we still have the aircraft... (some of you may have seen the Comair graveyard next to the trailers), they are not flying.. for the most part. A big oversight if you ask me.... if the contract had a min number of block hours to support the min fleet size... well, I'd be working right now.

 

Don't forget that these are rather unprecedented times, historically the company has tried to keep the planes flying and productive. I don't necessarily blame anyone for not predicting these cuts. We're caught in another 'perfect storm'. This time it was fuel prices/recession/etc. Last time it was recession/9-11. Who knows what it will be next time.

I have come to realize there is only so much a CONTRACT can guarantee you. The company is always going to do pretty much whatever they want. No matter how air tight you think you have it.

No furlough clause? No problem, we'll call it "force majeure", or get those suckers to negotiate it away later.

Min fleet size? No problem, we'll keep the planes but park 'em.

Min days off? Move soft days (multiple times)? No problem, we'll make them fly it now and grieve it later.

Insufficient staffing? No problem, junior man. Let 'em grieve it later. Never mind that the 'life events' we will force them to miss are irreplaceable.

It comes down to the quality of the organization and this one is sorely lacking.