I'd love no RR, but I don't think we'll get it. Very few regionals operate without RRs, and all three of us currently have it as it is. Likely, we'll see it with restrictions. I'd say no more than 8 hours, but it falls under the 4 hour min guarantee for the day. Limit on the number of RR, but I'd guess it's gonna be about 10 per month. The big question is what kind of escalation language are we going to get? In TA1, the could only escalate you twice a month. At XJ, it has to be done the night before. TA2 it was still one of the open sections, so there's nothing to build on there. Another thing is what happens when you're done with an assignment (also one of the open JCBA sections)? Can they hold you for an hour on RR as they can now, or will you be free to go if they have nothing for you? How many guys will they be allowed to have at the airport? 99 agreement for 9E says no more than 2 at a time, and TA1 language was pretty much the same.

As for no JMs, I hear that's a deal breaker if we're forced to accept JMs. Who knows, though?

Anyone got any word from today's meetings?

It's been a while since I was at Mesa (furloughed) but this (the quotation) is old info, but not incorrect. We had 11 days off, per the last contract, and there have been several iterations (and still ongoing) of reserve LOAs to make it less abusive and more contract adherent. Our MEC has been pretty proactive with reserves and before I got furloughed was doing a good job of working for the reserves with PBS and other stuff.

A positive thing about the furlough and downgrades was that a lot of folks who were never touched by furlough policies have been thrown into the grinder and are now more sensitive to how it is to be screwed around by Crew Tracking, I think.

I'm hoping the new contract negotiations we're starting will do more to strengthen the reserve language in the contract and improve QOL as much as it can be improved given the general crappy-ness of reserve life. I'm pretty pleased with what I have read from various MEC communications and talking to my friends still on line that this has been an area that the MEC has taken to heart and been working on improving.

Not to say that management won't mess with it anyhow at their whim, but then that's what happens in AirlineLand, isn't it?

CommutAir: (Contract negotiations in progress)

-8 Hour ready reserve, 7a-3p OR 3p-11p.

-All reserve days pay 4.0 hours of flight pay, RR also adds in Per Diem.

-No limit to amount you can sit per month or consecutively.

*Note about our reserve guarantee: If you're rolled to an assignment off reserve or RR and it is blocked more than 4 hours, you're paid the additional time above 4 hours on top of your monthly guarantee.

Example: 76 hour guarantee, you fly once that month for 6hrs for the day. You will be paid 78 hours that month because you exceeded your 4 hour daily guarantee for that one day of flying. Reserves have the opportunity to make a lot of money over guarantee if they do a lot of flying that exceeds 4 hours per day.

I'm sorry you're right, it doesn't specifically say this and there are loop holes. This is assuming a max 5 day reserve block. With 5 reserve days, it would be impossible to sit RR more than twice because you can't sit RR on your last day. If it was a transition month and you were scheduled for 6 I suppose three times would be possible.

Are you guys paid block or better?

Recently we have had some clarifications to our RR rules. If they call you for a trip that trip must leave within the the 8 hours (comes from being called 3 minutes before end time for a flight 3 hours later). If you're flight ends before you're finished their are 3 possible things. Stay until RR periods ends - and leave. Scheduling can release you early then extend your reserve day to the 14 hrs. Or just released early no strings.

If the flight ends after your RR period, you're contactable for 30 minutes after. I am not sure if there is a limit of how many RR's you can have but I have never seen more than 1 complete crew per aircraft type. So 9 people sitting per RR period. However I haven't seen 900 or SAAB RR's for sometime.

We check in at Mesaba but not check out. To me this check out business you have is a non-starter for me...If the scheduling section is TA'd I would sure like to believe the type of bs you guys are going through is over.

My understanding is you do only if you break monthly guarantee. It is usually just scheduled block. That's something we are working on in our first contract.

Checking out for lineholders was gone in TA1, and I'm pretty sure it was gone in our Section 6 TA2 negotiations. Reserves still had to check out. If it got snuck back in during the JCBA, it's a step backwards from what was already negotiated and agreed upon.

And by 2012 the 22 year guys will be on reserve

Good they deserve it.