I really don't expect to be recalled for three years maybe more.

 

Why? What's your reasoning?
I am hoping for the end of this year, and I am on the BOTTOM (or close enough...)
A man can dream...

 

Fellow Pilots,
Since the last issue, L-CAL has determined that additional hiring will be needed beyond what was originally planned. On the L-UAL side, a small vacancy announcement is out for bid.
Hiring (L-CAL)
Captain Charlie Venema, has accepted the responsibility for management of new hire training. He can be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
Out of the last 125 offers, 24 furloughed L-UAL pilots elected to accept new hire positions and will be assigned February and March 2012 class dates. This is consistent with the rate of approximately one acceptance for every five offers.
L-CAL has increased the class size of the two March classes from 16 to 20, and will be adding at least one April class. The next group of 137 furloughed L-UAL pilots should expect offer letters next week. This includes pilots who had new hire dates of June 2000, July 2000 and those in the 06AUG2000 class, bringing the total number of employment offers to 963.
Manpower
A small vacancy advertisement for 5 A320 Captains and 2 A320 F/Os closes on 04FEB2012.
I expect to have news regarding awards for the L-UAL vacancy bid as well as updated plans on the L-CAL system bid soon, and will follow with a more detailed update at that time.

 

Latest that we're hearing is the UAL side starting recalls early fall. Realistically, the acceptance rate may increase dramatically at that point, so depending on where you are in the queue, you might be right. The big pivot point in the circle jerk will undoubtedly be whether we end up with UAL or CAL biased work rules in the next contract. If UAL biased, we'll be quite short of pilots almost immediately. The new FTDT rules will also work in favor or needing more bodies.

Personally, I think el Jefe needs us to be working under one contract and one list sooner rather than later, so that he can move the bases and jets as needed with minimal resistance. As it stands now, it will be an enormous cluster to involuntarily displace and re-crew with no ability to bid on both sides. Could literally cause hundreds (thousands?) of training events and thousands of displacements resulting in commuting hell as most of us can't sell our houses and/or simply won't.

FWIW,

Scott

 

Yes, true, but #1 the economy was better and the airline was more properly or should I say "less understaffed" during that time. #2 is if you look at the class size of those years you will notice the summer class sizes are about a third of normal and not run as frequently as other times of the year.

Crew planning is chomping at the bit to get this bid out and they are running up against a time crunch with their fleet planning and training (i.e. 787s and retirements). If they can't get something soon they may very well see pushing off new-hire training during the summer so the bodies can be on the line flying.

That being said though, there was a pilot bulletin announcing nine (9) new 737 sim instructors yesterday. Take that for what it is worth, but it could be possible there were be SOME new hire training during this summer, albeit not the size of our normal spring and fall classes.

That that FWIW.

 

Scott,

I agree on all counts. The one thing I would add is that the JNC has been repeatedly telling management for 6+ months now that CAL work rules are not going to cut it and to stop bringing them to the table. Yet the continued to do this with the L-CAL negotiators saying we aren't going to work under these rules going forward and L-UAL negotiators saying we aren't giving up the rules we have, we gave up pay to preserve them; so try again. So I'm confident the JNC and our MECs are on the same page there. At least in that respect and scope I'm not worried.

Yes, el Jeff-e, would love us to be working under AMR's recent proprosal, but we are still making money AND he will still get further synergies (translation: money savings) by having all of us under one contract and flying together anyway. My view is that these "synergies" can more than offset the changes we expect to see in this contract allowing the company to have the "fairness" they want while we happily sing Kumbaya together on the line.

 

Woo hoo!!!! Now they only need to send out about 535 more letters to get to me!!!!

 

Agreed, but let's also agree that current UAL work rules and CAL current pay plus a pittance are a non starter. Not just NO....GOLLY NO! (Insert your favorite word for golly)

UCAL can easily afford what we deserve. The question is do we collectively have the cojones to ensure that we get it. I am sick of the boot licking Marvins and sick of our current contract. Unless the TA is overflowing with goodness on all accounts, my vote will be a resounding NO.

 

Absolutely, unfortunately it won't be what we deserve but rather what we demand. They don't think we deserve (or have earned) anything.

Scott

 

Bingo. Smisek said that at one of the love ins. Kind of like Mitt saying he doesn't care about the poor right? Except that Jeff pretty much got a pass while Romney is getting skewered by the press.

Hate to say it, but I saw more resolve at my last commuter job. So, I'll be vocal when I get the chance to underscore our worth and our current pathetic contracts.

Funny, I always figured that I'd be able to afford to send my kids to college once I got on with a major. What a major joke that turned out to be. 70 hours of Airbus pay month after month isn't much coin living in a major metro area anymore. No way I could afford to live in SFO or LAX unless I lived in a trailer 50 miles from the airport.