health care premiums.....yikes! - Page 3 - Airline Pilot Central Forums

#21

MaxKts , 09-01-2015 10:53 AM

Part Time Employee

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinseeker

...You should also look at the Q&A about the other options in the TA. The buy up plan is not the only health care option.

Yes, because, if you like your plan you can keep your plan and if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor!

#22

HIFLYR , 09-01-2015 10:58 AM

Gets Weekends Off

Quote:

Originally Posted by FDXLAG

I am not sure what you guys were expecting. Obamacare was intended to drive up the cost of healthcare until it drove 3rd party payers out of the system. It is working. Collectively we helped bring Obamacare about. Elections have consequences. Personally I don't want my compensation tied up in paying for your kids runny nose. Nothing personal, just business.

Well like it or not your percentage of cost will go up with people using the system and that effects your compensation. Also, I guess we will have to trust the company's accountant as to the real cost of the plan payouts vrs seeing the actual bills and such. Bad deal all around the cost savings of this TA to company is more that the cost of the improvements to us. I would argue it's not cost neutral it is actually going to make money for the company. Heck the POP change will probably pay for the contract over the life of the contract.

#23

PicklePausePull , 09-01-2015 11:01 AM

Gets Weekends Off

Quote:

Originally Posted by HIFLYR

Bad deal all around the cost savings of this TA to company is more that the cost of the improvements to us. I would argue it's not cost neutral it is actually going to make money for the company. Heck the POP change will probably pay for the contract over the life of the contract.

And if the manager in charge of buying fuel did his job and hedged our fuel at $39 barrel last week, there's enough money to afford the contract we deserve and should be fighting for!

#24

FXDX , 09-01-2015 11:08 AM

Proponent of Hysteria

Quote:

Originally Posted by FDXLAG

This really needs to be repeated. Over and over again. And then some more.

#25

kronan , 09-01-2015 11:21 AM

Gets Weekends Off

FWIW-

if I was still a Govt Civilian, my premiums would have been $462 per month for 2015.

Checked my most recent paycheck and my FedEx premiums come out at 256.

Sucks to have great coverage. But if keeping more $$ in the pocket is the goal for this issue, then perhaps next contract should pursue a cheaper catastrophic like coverage versus the great health care we currently have.

The unknown premiums aren't a deal breaker to me, would prefer to have that versus poorer coverage.

#26

stkshkr , 09-01-2015 11:28 AM

Line Holder

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raptor

So, with this TA, the pilots become the risk manager and SELF-insurer at 18%?

Let's say someone's kid or spouse gets cancer and it takes one million in health care costs. That event alone would raise premiums by $45 a pilot.

I realize the max annual jump once the initial rates are set at 18% in October 2017, is 10% a year, but that initial jump to us bearing 18% of the costs is unconstrained.

Do you want to sign something that has an unknown cost that comes from your pocket? By leaving the cost to us at a percentage, the true cost is hidden. Is that number $4000 a year for family buy-up, or $9000 a year?

Suddenly that 10% initial pay raise looks even less sufficient. Now we might be under COLA. Same thing goes for the annual 3% raises...they rise at a lesser rate than the 10% health care max increases.

So....... a decreasing value A plan (because the 260k cap remains while inflation rises), our health care premiums potentially (likely) rising dramatically, destruction of $thousands in travel perks for the FDA folks (elimination of the international hotel in lieu of DH for their intra-European DHs), sick notes not fixed, most of the CRS shenanigans not fixed, giving up first class international DH in most cases, permitting 767 crew rest sitting bolt upright in the flight deck Jumpseat simply by getting 36 hours off, giving the company free reign to use 6-week bid periods with no restrictions which could destroy some vacation tactics over the holidays and gets extra productivity out of us, permitting the company to Jumpseat us back to Memphis so we don't miss our next outbound trip when they can't get us on a commercial flight, permitting the company to use sleep rooms instead of hotel rooms in some cases (would make it difficult to get a sleep room when J/S in/out like you can now on a space available basis), some bonuses applying to only 54 year olds and older, retirement bonus that keeps encourages pilots to fly sick for half pay, etc, etc.

All this for measley raises and a long contract. We, as pilots, take on the inflation risk with such low raises when the contract extends through 2021. We will be leap frogged by other pay rates in short order and stuck for years.

Nailed it! The more I get into this thing, the uglier it's getting.

On a side note, am I reading it right as to if you are sitting RSV you can be notified for a 3hr callout for sim support? (Pg. 393 )

#27

FDXLAG , 09-01-2015 12:55 PM

Gets Weekends Off

Quote:

Originally Posted by stkshkr

Again this is a plus not a minus. You can be assigned sims off reserve now with a 1+30 callout and only 10 hours off after. 3 and 12 hours is better than 1+30 and 10.

#28

The Walrus , 09-01-2015 01:11 PM

Gets Weekends Off

Quote:

Originally Posted by stkshkr

pg 398

In the event that a reserve pilot is assigned a base
simulator support event (as provided in Section 25.L.15.), in normal
leveling (non-“first SIM”) order, he may elect to “pass down” that
assignment to a pilot lower on the leveling list. If all eligible reserve
pilots have elected to “pass down” a base simulator support event,
such activity shall not be assigned to a reserve.

#29

mailman , 09-01-2015 03:49 PM

New Hire

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinseeker

I came up with that number because of your $1175/month which is $14,100/year. $78333 * 0.18 = $14,100. When you said the cost at 18% could be $1175/month, I guess you just pulled a number out of the air instead of trying to deal with facts. You should also look at the Q&A about the other options in the TA. The buy up plan is not the only health care option.

I see, yes I did pull a number out of my ass. Which is exactly what the company may do when they determine our health care premiums.

#30

Meathead , 09-01-2015 05:52 PM

On Reserve

No hard numbers on health care premiums? For 6 years? Hard show stopper for me (and a fantastically dangerous precedent to set in the negotiations world). There is no way to objectively weigh the compensation package without numbers. In case I wasn't clear - NO