This is an intelligence quiz:

Hypothetical 2010 annual insurance premiums for a RAHBro were $11,000.00
Company paid $10,000.00
RAHBro paid $1,000.00

Same premium for 2011 rose to $13,000.00
Company pays $11,500.00
RAHBro pays $1,500.00

Who "absorbs major share of rising healthcare costs" here?

a) RAHBro
b) Company

Hint #1: Total increase is $2,000.00

Hint #2: RAHBro portion of increase is $500.00

Hint #3: Company portion of increase is $1,500.00

They are paying the contractually obligated 2/3 of the healthcare cost. So, while they may be absorbing "most" of the increase without passing it along to the pilots, they are not doing it out of the kindness of their heart!

Look at the name on the bottom of their pay comparison charts. That should tell you all you need to know and strike terror in your heart at the same time. Hint: the company starts with an "S".

Hey Mulva since your computing numbers you might like this:

Seriously?

I bet he saw this somewhere

Mulva, take a look at the real numbers:

http://www.myrjetworkplace.com/wp-co...care-Costs.pdf

Just sayin' ...

If the "he" you are referring to is me, then yes I was. I find it intriguing how a generally level headed RAH pilot is attempting to spin the following as something other than what it simply is:

2010-2012 healthcare costs increased $3,100.00 of which the Company absorbed $1,900.00 and the remaining $1,200.00 went to the employee. Doesn't that suggest the Company absorbed over 62% of the increase? I would consider that a "major share." According to those numbers, the Company is picking up over 71% of the total tab (granted that has gone down a bit since 2010).

How about if the company were paying $9,999.99 of a $10K tab with the RAHBro sporting for the other $0.01? Let's say the overall goes to $11K with the RAHBro picking up $0.02 and the Company $10,999.98. Damn, the RAHBro sees a 100% increase while the company only sees a 10% increase. Where is the fairness there? Would is be fair at all to consider the Company picking up $999.99 vs. the RAHBro $0.01?

I guess you can look at it as a 100% increase to the RAHBro or a 99.999% "major share" increase to the Company.

Just kind of funny seeing efforts to refute a Company statement that, to 99% of the planet, makes absolute sense.

AND Airbill, thanks for the chart. Was kind of garbled up except for the actual colored bars, but no biggie. All I need to do is look at my pay stubs from the last few years to know that healthcare costs are eating into my direct deposit. The point I am making is that employers (including RAH) continue to pick up the lions share of the increase.

AND GoBlue, why the Company does so is beside the point.

And how much are you worth? First, you are worth what you negotiate. Second, with no shortage of wannabes willing to fly jets for practically free, you cannot negotiate much. I'd say you are paid exactly what you are worth.

Mulva,

If it was garbled, then you'll have to ask the company why. It's from their newfangled website. :wink:

The only thing that chart proves is that the company has been gradually shifting, as a percentage share, more and more of the cost of health care to its employees. And you're right, it's going on all over the nation. RAH is not all that different from many other corporations. But, your examples notwithstanding, it puts the lie to the company's assertion that it isn't shifting more of the burden to its employees. And with most of our FOs frozen in salary seemingly in perpetuity, this is a very relevant charge.

This is the one I really like:

By my count, we have had four pilot furloughs in ten years. Pilots have been out of work up to two years. In some cases, the company fired out of seniority even though it knew it was illegal. This is blatant disregard for the truth, but par from the course from a company whose "guiding principles" contains this nugget: "Tell the truth." It would be funny if it weren't so tragic. These are the guys you're working for. I'm sorry if you trust them more than you trust us, but that's the way this has gone from the beginning.

And speaking of tragic, it sucks that we're at each other's throats when it shouldn't be this way. Our fight was, and always has been, with management that served notice that it wanted to toss our scope out of the window. What would you have done? Would you have been so complicit?

[QUOTE=Mulva;1186361

AND GoBlue, why the Company does so is beside the point.[/QUOTE]

I would disagree with you on that point. The company is implying that they are picking up the lion's share of the cost in order to not give anyone a pay cut. Since I have not gotten any sort of pay raise in over two years and my health insurance cost about 250 dollars more a month, I would say that I have received a pay cut. It is typical Republic speak, they aren't exactly lying, but they aren't telling the truth either.

I know, the company tried to "give" me a raise out of the goodness of their heart. However, I would like my raise as a part of a new contract, not an underhanded attempt to string out the negotiating process even further.

The company just wants to give us honest information. Maybe they are, unfortunately, after 5+ years of being lied to, I don't have the heart, nor the mindset to listen to them anymore.

Just my thoughts.