So if you are 53 at date of signing and want to retire at age 60, in seven years. You decide you can live with this contract because we all know a 6 year contract is at least 8 years, so you vote yes to the TA.

Well, you use your sick leave, because you don't fly sick, so there is no way you will have the max sick bank to be paid out to you at $0.50 on the dollar. Remember it is the lesser of the three options not the greater. There goes the first part of your bonus.

Guess what? You also do not get the $40,000 bonus since you were 53 at date of signing. Sorry Charlie, you needed to be 54.

Guess you can hang out another year surely they will put it in the next contract just like the $25,000 healthcare spending account. Oh wait, that's right, that has gone missing from the last two contracts.

I guess no bonus for you.

Guess you just had to live with the two 1% additions to your B plan. Oh wait, that wasn't really 2% of your pay either. It was 2% of the max IRS compensation limit.

Someone tell me my reading comprehension is poor and I'm wrong.

Reference: Retirement, Section 28, page 533 of the TA with redline

For this, and many other reasons, it is time to take a stand and vote NO!!!

This is just like the 25k Veba deal, but better for some..

I don't understand this. Can you explain?

I thought the union said it wasn't going to negotiate different benefits for the same crew force? That's why we dug in our heels about keeping the A-Fund. Now we are carving out "EXTRA" benefits because someone is 54 years old, knowing full well the company will drag out negotiations on the contract for years after this contract expires as well. I think a 52 year old pilot is as important as a 53 year old pilot.

Can someone explain the letter after the retirement section that mentions changing age 60 to 62? I can't find any mention of it in the text of the cab, just this letter.

Look at the page I referenced. TA specifically says you must be 54 or older at signing to receive this benefit.

Probably some in this group that also received the 25k from the last go around.

The way I read it, they want to change the age for accounting purposes. It won't change the calculations for your actual retirement pay...this time...but, they are in for the long con, and you can almost guarantee that next time, retiring at 60 will incur a penalty.

I think I read VEBA is still there in the insurance section, but I could have read it wrong. My eyes were about to roll back in my head at that time