Easter Eggs in the TA
 

Every word written in the new TA isn't there by accident. Let's compile a list of management easter eggs that you won't hear about from our union. I found a few so far so I'll start with this: 1) Vacation will be worth 2:20 when computing a line holder's MPG in a 30 day month and 2:20 per day MINUS one vacation day for a 31 day month.

The dissenting MEC members are customarily offered the chance to produce a “Con” statement on why they voted No....has anyone seen one?


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How is it that we don’t learn from lessons past. We have regretted every single concessionary contract in the past. Why will this be any different? This TA is just more awful than imagined.

I believe that TI said it passed unanimously did he not?

I heard 16/3


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“Unanimously” is conspicuously missing. As is a “recorded” or “roll-call” tally.

“The MEC and committees have been working on our strategy for over six months, and have come together to vote IN FAVOR of this agreement. I want to thank the entire MEC for working together collaboratively to ensure our negotiators had MEC support reaching important goals and crafting creative solutions to a nearly impossible problem.”


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The CON statement will come from C12 since they voted no. It is in progress. The other no vote was the C11 Capt Rep.

Tally was 16/3.

Lee

Thanks. Looking forward to it


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That was the first one that jumped out at me. Another one was the whole "stay on the Guppy/Sparky so we can short course you and you get to keep your previous seat pay rate." Any thoughts on why the company wants to incentivize as many people as possible to forego a full transition training course? Any thoughts on why there's a call for 30-50 new Guppy TIs? Any thoughts on why they can furlough in eight months? Any chance there's a connection there?

for MPG pro-ration, yes. That does not mean that vacation does not pay 3.25 per day ADD PAY as per section 3-F. That would be a good PDR for clarification.

That's the MPG reduction, then vacation pay is added back in as add pay at the existing rate of 3.25 hr/day.

c-12 voted no.

New guy question: What is Vacation pay used for MPG now? This could be an impact to days off when bidding lines for those that try to maximize days off in a vacation month.

From the other forum...the OTHER, other forum, the NEW one...he's a smelly nugget...

"...if a Trip for that Category cannot be assigned without disruption of days off, the number of disrupted days off shall be no more than four (4) days per assignment."


​​​​​​So now, every reserve, Basic or Global, can be assigned a 5 day trip on their last day of reserve. And they can do this as many times as they want–all they have do is shuffle your remaining RDOs. Bye bye Basic HDOs. This is a HUGE concession for all the Basic reserves."

I tried to keep an open mind on this, and considered the current environment and what the attempted goal of this TA is...

Firm NO voter, vote early and often!

Pay rate protection. Section F2 says that to be pay protected you have to have a 100% vacancy bid in to qualify. They use the example of someone displaced out of SFO 737 CA, that person would have to have a bid for SFO 737 CA at 100% to qualify. How do pilots displaced when bases closed in meet these requirements? A displaced IAH 777 pilot, or a LAX 756 pilot can’t bid their former BES if it no longer exists.

C12 W.M. was a joke as MEC chair and she left the UAL furloughees to rot. How is she even still in a leadership position?

Termination triggers:

4. Passenger revenue reaches 80% of 2019 level for a single quarter.

5. Passenger revenue reaches 70% of 2019 level for three consecutive quarters.

——————————-

“Passenger” is important because it takes away “cargo” revenue (which has been successful) from the equation for terminating the LOA and getting us back to full pay.

How about this nugget they slid in there. A BRAND NEW paragraph as it relates to middle seat pay:

5-C-1-g-(1) Notwithstanding section 5-C-3, a pilot may be re-seated out of an Economy Plus middle seat into an Economy Plus aisle or window seat if such seat is made or becomes available (due to any reason) prior to Departure.

So the gate agent can tap you on the shoulder just prior to door close and give you a misconnect's window seat. I'm not sure if this was allowed before (it's never happened to me like that), but there's a reason the company added this language....and it will likely stay in our contract for a looong time.

I honestly don’t know if you care to interpret this any other way than the union is selling you out, but this was already happening and completely legal:

I was settling into my middle seat from Chicago to San Fran, thinking about motorcycle parts I could buy with my new found money… The gate agent came on board and gave me a new ticket. I told him I was comfortable where I was, and he replied “well you can sit wherever you want, but the system is going to show you in your new seat“

as someone who has sat reserve for a lot of his UAL time, the middle seat provision has been very kind to my checkbook (lots of pairing repair with DHs).​​​​ however, something happened about two years ago, and the system got smart enough to identify deadheading pilots and push them out of middle seats whenever it could. Often I would check in for a flight and have a middle seat assigned, but by the time I scanned my boarding pass, I would’ve been pushed to a new (non middle) seat

Understood. I'm open to other interpretations....So why do you think this paragraph was added?

This is a huge point. Airlines will be scrambling for market share. There will a blood bath of fare sales. Who has the cash to endure cheap tickets and grab market share? Southwest. The airlines know revenue recovery is far off on the horizon.

24 mos of cuts for 9 mos of furlough protection

Don't forget FC dh is at time of booking. You're still CREWONE until hours before departure and can easily lose that seat.

If there's an over sell situation, you will get downgraded for a pax using miles to upgrade.

What's cheaper for the company, giving you first class status below all revenue opportunities or, Econ + dh?' Econ + dh definitely cost the company money because we are blocking a premium seat and cannot be forced into regular Econ.

Not true. 5-C-1-e.

24 months of cuts for 8 mos, 3:1 advantage to management and the pilots even agreed to pay for those 8 months for us Bob!

The vote to send it to membership for ratification was unanimous.

don’t let facts get in the way of a good narrative. Many of these guys seem to think that random parts of our contract will not be upheld at the whim of the company.

The scenario you paint is mutually exclusive. If there is a bloodbath for market share (IE airlines increasing block hours regardless of demand) then the true up portion of the LOA will have us at full MPG at our old pay, thus no “cuts.”

Understood. I'm certainly open to other interpretations. Why do YOU think the company added an entirely new paragraph for something that was already happening and completely legal as you say?

5-C-1-e In the event of an oversold situation (including an equipment substitution that results in fewer available premium seats), a deadheading Pilot booked in First or Business Class will not be downgraded until after all passengers who received a free upgrade (that is, passengers who used neither dollars nor miles for the upgrade) are downgraded and after all pass riders who received an upgrade are downgraded. Then, downgrades will be made in inverse positive space priority (and in inverse boarding date order among Pilots having the same priority). Revenue passengers (whether using dollars or miles) will not be downgraded before the Pilot. In no case shall a Pilot be downgraded to accommodate a passenger who would receive a free

Wrong. The pilot is downgraded before a pax using miles or dollars. Only ones who are downgraded before a pilot are free upgrades and non revs.

Yeah ... but you got to admit she is hot!

That is true if block hours are increased. Planes are currently flying at what 30-40% load factor? Do they really need to increase block hours or just dump the fare to fill the jet?

Whats mpg. miles per gallon?

Yes

(Actually it's one of three pay clocks UA uses, and one is paid the greatest of the three for the month. MPG = Monthly Pay Guarantee which is basically min pay)

MPG = Minimum Pay Guarantee

I understand what you are getting at now, I missed the paying with miles wording. However I do agree with it. I would assume pax paying with miles are frequent flyers, why would you want to alienate them by booting them to the back and filling first class with pilots? Bad optics in the current environment.


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TA Voting as Probationary Pilot
 

Can a probationary pilot vote for this TA?

Whoa...you got unbanned?? Congrats!!

No worries. I look at it this way. You're in FC, enjoying your Tapas box and having a nice conversation with the businessman next to you. You find out that his company paid for his seat. He inquires how are you sitting up here. Simply answer that my company bought my seat as well. That, they understand.

Tbt, the one's that really got upset with our FC DH decades ago were not the passengers.
DH out of uniform makes for a more pleasurable experience.

Be well.

Do you know what position Todd Insler held prior to MC? Do you know why he was highly regarded by the pilot group? Its a trick question...