I understand that. However by having the 115% and 130% brackets it is an effective pay cut for open time. People picking up trips at those lower brackets are losing out on the 150% pay just because the don't have patience. The company knew that introducing those two extra brackets would reduce their costs and mean they have to pay less 150% pay. In my opinion it was a huge mistake and concession to accept anything other than 150% pay for open time.

With regard to vacation something needs to be done. The bro pilots couldn't bid any master vacation after march 2015. Then with an upgrade or base switch i wasn't awarded master vacation in 2016. That's 2 years with no vacation. I put in for vacation every month. Every time it is denied. I have a whole page of denials on my swol. I know people that have bid for vacation every week of the year and get awarded barely anything.

There is no reason you can't take your vacation with you while honoring seniority if the company had enough reserves. If you can hold it in seat/base then you key your vacation. They just need enough reserves to cover it.

Airfix

 

Involuntary transfers should keep their vacy.

Also bypassed folks should get vacay they would have been able top bid for if not bypassed (rare situation since most bypassed are going to lower relative seniority positions and are usually better off keeping the vacy in the current position).

Otherwise, make your bid effective after the vacation if it's that important to you.

 

Also I don't see why we need to mandate overtime rates for VOLUNTARY open time...that's the company's problem not ours. They can either staff properly, or pay whatever rate the market will bear...anywhere from straight-time to 500%, whatever it takes. I'd rather they just staff.

 

Upgrade now down to 2.5 years, and the bids still aren't completely done yet. Could go more junior.

 

1/14 hires to upgrade?

 

Depending on the timing you can end up in a training event during the master bidding process so you can't bid for vacation until you are off oe and have another whole year without vacation.

I'm just ticked off that i can't use vacation that the company provides me. They know how much vacation we all get. They should be staffed with reserves to cover every one of our vacation days. What we need in a new contract (among other things) is a mechanism that allows us to use our vacation. Vacation is hugely important to the quality of life for me and my family. To be continually denied vacation month after month, year after year is something that needs fixed.

Airfix

 

The 115% and 130% is still a pay raise. Before open time outside of 72 hours wasn't paid with any incentive. Now it is. Thats a raise.

You remember you can look at the Master Vacation chart and pick out new weeks months in advance, right? They slots may not be at the most desirable times, but I just put in for two weeks that were available in August and September, and got them. Also got a week in November and December. I may not use them all, but at least its there ahead of time. If you wait until the month you're in, you'll always be denied via Sked+.

 

IMO we need to focus on vacation accrual. What good does it do to get a week of vacation awarded, use 3 hours per day (21 hours) then have to try and get 67 hours with the remaining days of the month? Every time I have tried to use vacation, I end up with trips stacked on each side and it just screws my cadence up with the trips I am trying to hold. We need more realistic accrual so we can use more hours per day. And we need to not be forced to work 88 hours per month without our bid falling off L7 and jacking everything up. Most of the time when I try to use a week of vacation, I still only end up with 15 days off for the month.

If we had proper staffing levels, there wouldn't be a need to worry about how much open time paid, because if you wanted to work more, you could pick up time for whatever it was worth. Is there a reason that regionals with legally enforceable contracts are getting paid 200% and up for their open time? Are other regionals getting threatening emails from their CP if they have to call in sick? They are loading as many hours as possible on everyone and then threatening pilots when they have to call in for time off. We should have minimum reserve levels for each day at the beginning of the month, and any trip that touches a day that is below minimum levels would pay 150% regardless.

I would recommend that everyone print copies of these emails and save any voicemails regarding this pilot pushing going on right now. I hope that I never have to use them, but I will be prepared to show how SW disregarded safety and intimidated pilots to fly when they were not fit if ever needed.

 

They need to address the retirement here. It is the joke of the industry, and pilots should have the ability to use golden day until 7 days prior along with holidays. The two months out to use a golden day is not very golden.

Pay will def have to be addressed as other regionals are paying more than we are now.

User and vacation accruals for new hires are a joke here, and will they please address the replaced/not awarded in pbs.

Any CN pairing awarded is 150%

 

This sh!! has got to stop.
This should be an ASAP, SCR and EGR against the Chief in question.

I just flew with a CA who flew sick on part of the trip, then called off. Because this CA had 7 occurrences, this individual was subjected to an uncomfortable phone call in which an ACP informed the CA that the CA should have finished the trip “Because sometimes you have to suck it up.”