Happy New Year, lets all enjoy the pay cut

Better than being out on the street!

That's the way I read the FCIF as well.

"Better than being out on the street!"

Thats what they would have us think. You can live in a dream world and polish this turd if you wish.

It's a chess game they're steps ahead and winning. They knew all of this LOA, 65, Fleet Plan etc long before the contract.

Finally. A non-whiner post.

Good job!

Yes, yes. And, they were hiding behind the grassy knoll, scheming all this.

So I've already given 5 years of upgrade pay to the over 60 front seaters, now I've got to give some of my current BLG to supplement them too. Great. Happy Festivus, can't wait for the airing of the grievences.

Let's all breathe through our noses for a little while and see how this plays out.

I expect the BLG to fall, but it cannot fall below the CBA without some discussion. The biggest thing you don't want to do now is GUT your contract provisions for an economic slowdown...we've seen how long it takes to get things rebounded to the plus side. Remember furloughing is expensive too--training guys cost money if you train them forward or backward. Minimizing costs is what the company is trying to do know--rightfully so. But perhaps in exchange for some BLG adjustments we can adjust the optimizer, work on some other Q of life issues that don't seem to get a lot of attention, and use this as an opportunity to HELP EACH OTHER. PC saying "boo--there's a furlough monster under the bed..." does not make the CBA void. It means we MAY need to work together to find some mutually beneficial arrangements.

Same house since 1998--same wife since 1989...we are built for the long haul. One benefit of doing interview coaching all those years is I heard a lot of stories from guys who were once at top of the world. The lessons I learned listening to them were A) don't get too far ahead of yourself financially--bad things can happen and B) CEOs will still get their bonuses. Don't be in a rush to slice your own wrists to save the company a buck. Move methodically, with logic and a good eye on the numbers--not ruled by emotion.

So--relax--its FedEx!

But--for those who voted for a substand LOA, or didn't pay attention to what was going on in DC on the Age 65 stuff--this is also a watershed moment for your career. You should pledge to stay in the loop from this point forward, as these things have a direct impact on you. Saying "its those union guys" or "I don't get those emails..." is a cop out. DW's move to put retro in the Obestar amendment at the Exec Board meeting in May and the acceptance of a sub-standard LOA that DID NOT FILL VACANCIES both contributed to this awkward point where we don't have enough pilots in the right spots but have too many overall. The info was out there, but only a handful of the "proponents of hysteria" were pointing it out. My hope is that in the future whatever direction we go, we'll have a more energized and informed crew force. Unless you already have a lot money, a solid side business or a guard job, or you plan on winning the lottery--these decisions and battles directly effect your own family's future. Get off the sidelines and get informed.

As (almost ) always --- great post Albie!

Lots of good advice for us to individually and collectively heed.

DLax

p.s. OBTW, There are folks around here that, very recently, did win the lottery.

"DW's move to put retro in the Obestar amendment at the Exec Board meeting in May and the acceptance of a sub-standard LOA that DID NOT FILL VACANCIES both contributed to this awkward point where we don't have enough pilots in the right spots but have too many overall."

You nailed it Albie. Though I will gladly take a pay cut to avoid furloughs, it really steams me that we have to do it in part because of DW's retro policy. Any of these guys that come back now, knowing that their unwillingness to retire with a full pension and a much better life than 95% of the rest of the nation will force the rest of us to take a pay cut, will really show their true colors. I for one will not be rewarding their greed at our expense by acting like it is OK. They have a choice now, retire and help out the pilot group as a whole or insist on coming back and making us all pay so they can get more years at the top. This is the "B" scale all over again and brought to you by the same group of pilots. DW should be ashamed for his part in this mess and I for one will buy the first round when he is back to the line. BTW, think his BLG will be reduced? This whole thing makes me sick...