We have three threads on this board that have turned into reserve threads. So lets start our own conversation.

I will start by saying that I don't mind being on reserve and bid the 787 knowing full well I would be on it for years. I understand that SC is necessary and will always commute in to be available. I also understand FSB may be necessary sometimes and sit in ops as required. The requirements of reserves are the same at every airline and will never change.

With that said the issue at United is the lack of rules for reserves and the confusion it causes within the pilot ranks and scheduling. There are 3 "Quick Question about legality" threads and 2 RSV handholding sticky threads on the front page of the other forum. If RSV is so good and the best its ever been why is there so much confusion 5 years in to our contract? Its because there are no rules or examples in the contract its a free for all. Scheduling owns pilots on reserve from midnight on the first day until midnight on the last day plus all of there RDOs and FDOs. Its out of control.

Here are some examples:

1. They schedule so many SCs every day that they run out of coverage for last minute flights. EX: Just 2 days ago. 10+ RSV in SFO 787FO with 4-6 days of availability, all were given a SC and at 8pm CDG opened for the next day, so who was available to cover it only a 2 day guy. He was rolled 2 days. Thats stupid, and uncalled for.

2. Scheduling waits until midnight the day before to build and assign SCs because of the 15hr rule. If the assignment is build within 15hrs its assignable immediately. they sit all day to make sure flying is covered then send out phone calls that wake everyone up at midnight to assign a SC for the next day. Do they really not know whats going to happen on an international fleet more than 10 hrs out?

3. They schedule the 1 and 2 day pilots for the 7am SC. The only trips that SC covers is the 5/6 day HGH and CTU. If you get called out for that trip you are getting 4-5 days rolled. They do this because they can give reserves their 36hrs free from duty away from base. EX: I have sat SC for three days out of 4 then was sent on a 6 day HGH SC. I was at work for 9 days straight. The kicker? There were several 5-6 day pilots on RSV that day but they were all on 8pm SCs. The overbuilding of SCs is causing coverage issues and the pilots pay for it.

I could keep going but those are three first hand examples of what I consider unacceptable scheduling practices allowed by our contract. Four things could be fixed in our contract and we would have the best reserve rules in the industry:

1. All SCs and FSB MUST be built by 11am the day prior with exception given to IROPS. this allows planning for the pilots life.

2. A cap on SCs assigned per month. If you want more than the cap have it, pick up as many as you want.

3. Every SC and FSB should be considered duty, 117 considers it duty, and should be paid at 5hrs toward guarantee.

4. SCs SHALL be built based on historic needs. With start times and number assigned that make sense with fleet/base/seat. This would prevent scheduling from putting a pilot on SC just because.

One day I'm going to be VERY senior and I will still fight for the junior pilot. As Oldmako said "I want to leave this place in better shape than I had it". I want the Reserve FO sitting next to me to look over at me and say life is good! I want to see pilots fly the aircraft they want and do the type of flying they want in the seat they want without worry of QOL. These changes are not unobtainable and I will allow my union reps to negotiate. These items are also not a automatic no or yes for me, they are just things I would like to see.

There is difference between complaining and *****ing. Complaining is annoying and gets nothing accomplished, most people that complain have no ideas on how to fix the problem. *****ing gets results because most people who ***** have an idea on how to make it better. I have yet to see anyone on this board complain about reserve. So lets pull together as a pilot group in 2019 and figure out how to make EVERY section of the contract bette from the #1 pilot to the #13,000 pilot.

 

There are some errors and misconceptions in your post. I had a full rebuttal but it got wiped out.

I'll just ask this about reserve. If it's that bad, why do so many senior pilots in my fleet/domicile bid reserve?

 

You only have 28 FOs in your fleet/base/seat. SFO 787FO has 333 there's probably 10-15 FOs that bid reserve and they are all right at the G-Line so I'm not even sure if they are doing it on purpose.

I think the real question should be if reserve is so good why is WB FO so junior?

Also let me know what those inconsistencies are because everyone of those was PDR'd and FODM'd and I lost every single argument.

 

WB FO goes junior because there are pilots who live local, want to bid RSV, and make a good solid wage and never work. Most pilots want to make a lot of $$$... so they want to be line holders on smaller equipment and pick up every trip possible. Beauty of this profession is everyone has a choice (except for new hires <year on property)... issue comes up when pilots bid equipment that makes them junior (NB Captain or WB FO on RSV) and then they complain because they don't like the RSV rules. I'm a WB RSV pilot and flew about 70 days last year... I don't have any complaints. I have tons of buds on WB RSV at EWR/IAD/ORD that are working about the same... no complaints from them either. Still a lot of movement happening... so bid what you want and live with the rules that are currently in place... not the rules you hope will be created to benefit RSV... it probably won't happen.

 

I'm lower than 28 in my fleet/base/seat. But there are senior Capts that also bid reserve in my fleet/base.

WB FO is junior? In EWR and SFO, but everything's junior in EWR and SFO.

Hmm. You lost every argument. That should tell you that you need to dig through the contract a bit. Start with LCs vs SCs flying into days off - it's in the contract.

As far as being called for SC, I'm almost always called at decent waking hours, not midnight.

For strange hour SCs, I've asked schedulers about them before. New schedulers won't know, but I've always been given logical answers from experienced schedulers.


I'm not ecstatic about reserve but I bid it with eyes wide open. I've learned to make it work for me.

 

I lifted this from an earlier thread titled "Fixes to Reserve" from December '15.

Fixes to reserve

I'm too lazy to revisit and amend it right now as I am on vacation. Please excuse my lethargy. I gave it a few nips and tucks. I figured at least that I could offer up a contribution, just to annoy a special few and (hopefully) and add some additional perspective.

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To reiterate for those new to this argument who may have not been here, these are a few of the wonderful changes that have slowly crept into what was a negotiated LC/SC system.

1. First In-First Out used to be published and easy to follow. It kept scheduling honest and gave a reserve guy an easy way to determine where he stood. Any out of FIFO assignments were instantly apparent and as a result seldom happened. Now, who knows?

2. There was a very limited amount of SC's published per day for a given BES. On the bus in DC, it was typically 2 or 3 per day. Now? I've seen 8-10. Yes, they pay an hour but only after you've given them the first two. There are plenty of guys who would rather be on LC than SC irrespective of the stipend.

Furthermore, all SC's were published at 0900 each day. By about 1100L, they had all been assigned. If you didn't get one, you were virtually guaranteed LC the next day. I was never assigned a SC late in the evening for the next day. Now its the norm. Two weeks ago they called me at 0100 for a SC the next day.

3. Rolling days off used to be a rarity. In some BES they still are. But ask the guys in the understaffed bases what the months of May through September are like. Good luck making plans.

4. FSB's used to pay 5 hours. Now, they're essentially freebies.

5. Under the old system, I was never called a few hours after beginning an SC and then told to head to the 'drome and perform a FSB (instead) during that same duty period. Now, its happened several times.

6. Likewise, I was never called just a few hours after beginning a SC assignment only to be told, "you're released from SC...but now you're on SC tomorrow at "X" o'clock. FIFO?? Nah. They keep you rolling in SC limbo.

7. There used to be a mythical "4 hour" show time. Well, was that 4 hours to ops or to the jet? Who knew? No one knew and it was great.
It was also seldom a problem. Now, its 2.5 hours to ops and its in black and white. That was a hell of a concession. Especially those few bases with multiple airports. IAD - JFK - LAX - etc. Major metropolitan areas with major traffic. Hell, its what, 60 miles IAD to BWI? That's over an hour in the middle of the night.

8. SC's were seldom handed out to a pilot on day one of a SILO, or on his last day. That was one of the main gets when we got the LC/SC system. That's HUGE. Thats GONE.

This is just a small sample. There are some excellent posts on the other forum that do a much better job of 'splaining to Lucy some of the more creative and egregious reserve shenanigans that are now routine.

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"Tawk amongst yourselves"

 

You nailed it! The lack of consistency and transparency is frustrating.
Weekends they always throw everyone on SC and then use 1-2 day guys with FDOs to cover any drop ins.
If you want 1 or 10 SC guys I don't care but make it consistent. Assigning everyone a SC then rolling guys days just because they can with no recourse shouldn't be the normal way we operate.

I'm same base/fleet as you so I hear ya! Is it horrible? No, and I commute as well, but there is a more logical way to assign SCs and still ensure coverage to protect the integrity of the operation.
The reason they do is because they can.

 

They have found a way around the contract's "intent." ALPA didn't envision a reserve system like this that just "floats in perpetuity." The lack of consistency for the pilots is total consistency for management. They consistently know how to work-around our hard fought rules governing consistency. The "perpetual roll" equals "revolving and total coverage."

ALPA used to say..."don't worry you won't be on reserve long." Well, 4 years later, still on reserve. I am glad I ain't hearing that anymore.

If our reps sat reserve they would "get it."

 

Bingo! If you want 10 SCs a day that's fine but don't build 15 just because you have can.

SFO 787FO get a 7am and a 10am usually to 1-2 day guys. Then they build 3 6pm and 3 8pm, all logical and good coverage. Then they get a bunch of pilots checking in on the same day and they assign 3 1pm and 2 7pm and extra 10am......WHY? Thee only answer I ever get is we need to cover the operation.

 

Agreed, the only reason they can get around the contract is because there are no walls to prevent them in the reserve section. There are only a couple examples in the entire section and even those are vague.