PBS=backdoor to vacation gutting

Negotiating Committee Update - Oct 26 about 5p ET
Chairman Message - Neg. Comm. Supplement about an hour later

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Negotiating Committee Update

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Information is power!

No PBS here! Deffinitely something that we can not allow to happen. This would change our so many aspects of our contract without altering a single word!
Vacation, scheduling, training all negatively impacted.

I know I'm preaching to the choir but it's good to know some of the reasons why it's a bad idea. They will NOT work with us when unexpected complications arise, no matter how much lower level managers promise to do so. Higher level managers will simply direct more efficiency to be extracted. The final word will be, "Fix it in your next CBA."

- Min effort on our secondaries. They don't know how to use the rudimentary tools they have now and haven't cared to learn more than enough to barely get the job done. There is no interest in improving our secondary line process since no arbitration is pending. The emphasis is on preventing changes when they make errors so we quit complaining about it. I've never seen an organization so interested in circling the wagons when you try to help them do a job right. No fix is considered as they try to explain away all manner of misdeeds. Middle managers encourage this behavior as well. Just Culture means "Just Circle the Wagons" for them.

- Disputes. We can't trust them to make pairings without tremendous fatigue built in. Our SIG has to keep a close eye on them to prevent much of it. They only change them under duress. I've heard the answer about pairings too many times. "Because the CBA says we can." Again, managers encourage this behavior.

So where do you think they're going to go with an ability to "Optimize" our schedules?

Just give them a chance you say? We had a taste during 4a2b.

What I saw -

An unwillingness to balance carryover with the flying available.
An unwillingness to properly man airframes or shift flying gauge to prevent bidpacks from being unethically divergent.
Gaming secondary lines so they were MUCH higher than the rest of the bidpack
Extra pairings that "suddenly" showed up after a low line average bidpack was created.


There are reasons why, unlike other airlines, a pilot manned Scheduling Improvement Group was created and exists today. Why did management see the initial need for this function? I think one or more of the following apply.

Company schedulers didn't have the skill to schedule properly
Company schedulers are intentionally not trained to schedule properly
Company schedulers are directed not to scheduling properly
Company schedulers are disciplined and changed out to ensure they don't schedule properly.



Management may want to negotiate a PBS but I'm fairly certain they don't want to work with us during implementation. The best it can be described as is a give back in a collaborative environment. In this environment it becomes a hugely negative change. It will impact at least 95-99% of the pilots. If there is a way to extract gains from 100% of us, I'm sure they'll find it.

What do you think will happen to CA upgrade times?

We can't trust them to be honest with accepted fares.

We certainly can't trust them with a scheduling system as opaque as PBS.....

Unless the economy suddenly picks up, I see a CA excess bid as soon as the ink is dry on a PBS agreement.

Guys, I think you are all getting your panty's in a wad. The company knows well that we will never go for PBS, for many reasons including Vacation. Like somebody mentioned earlier, they are throwing this out so we can take our eyes off the ball. They know that a contract with PBS has a snowball chance in hell of passing. So, stay focused on what they are trying to distract us from.

No way, No how. PBS = Auto deal-killer.

Remember R-24? The language and "intent" was reserve w/24 hrs notice. The reality is being pulled into domicile for "Hotel Stby", or whatever crappy trip they can cobble together. Hence, it's not 24 hr reserve; it's 1 hr callout from the hotel.

So much for intent and results.