APC225, thanks for the contract reference.

 

Call the very day you reach MPG minus 4:30. Otherwise you may miss out on the pay bump. If you get within 4:30 and spend another day on reserve without calling, you missed out on 4:30 getting added to your line value. Or, you get within 4:30 and you fly less than 4:30, you just lost the difference in pay. As soon as you get within 4:30, call.

P.S., they will also "level you" when you're getting close to the MPG minus 4:30, which is to say they'll cease flying you to prevent you from getting the extra pay. They won't fly you but they won't release you either. You can sometimes trick the system by personal dropping a reserve day that is over coverage (I know, very rare) which lowers your MPG thereby bringing you within the 4:30 from the top down vice from the bottom up. If you have at least one day left on reserve after doing this, then the value of the day you just dropped gets added right back in. You just went from 12 days off to 13 days off--with the same pay. I did this for many months, getting one (or more) extra days off and still getting paid nearly what my original MPG was.

 

They offered VJM the entire summer of 2011. I don't see how this summer will be any different. But they have other tools to use and nothing will surprise me.

"CAL Part 5 - Vacations General
A. When unforeseen circumstances create an operational need, that is, an event severely limiting the availability of pilots in a Base, Equipment and Status, a pilot's vacation may be canceled. Before a pilot's vacation may be canceled, Pilot Manpower Planning will ask for volunteers who are willing to change their vacation. If there are not enough volunteers, then pilot vacations will be canceled in reverse order of seniority. A pilot will be given at least thirty (30) days advance notice of a vacation cancellation unless he agrees to a shorter notice."

 

Looks like it'll be VJM right through September.

"Date: March 9, 2012
We are offering Voluntary Junior Manning for all B737 Captains and First Officers in all bases. If you are a B737 Captain or First Officer in IAH, EWR, CLE, LAX or GUM that does a straight pickup after the issuance of this bulletin of a full trip pairing from open time that originates on March 9, 2012 through March 12, 2012, that pickup will be treated as a “voluntary junior manning” (VJM) event and you will be paid a minimum of 4:30/day or flight time flown, whichever is greater, at 150% of your normal hourly rate."

 

The above along with reassingment and the pilots inability to refuse junior manning once contacted by CM has been part of the S-CAL manning model for a while. S-CAL lack of work rules by union estimates cost over 500 pilots jobs vs S-UAL.
Read the new flight ops update for confirmation,here is a quote:

“In September, we’ll reach a tipping
point that will require local reserves,”
said Chip. “We were faced with the

choice of either extending DEN and

ORD layovers on the 737 and IAH
layovers on the Airbus to artificially
create re-assignment options, or basing

pilots in those places."

 

"We are offering Voluntary Junior Manning for all B737 Captains and First Officers in all bases. If you are a B737 Captain or First Officer in IAH, EWR, CLE, LAX or GUM that does a straight pickup after the issuance of this bulletin of a full trip pairing from open time that originates on March 12, 2012 through March 18, 2012, that pickup will be treated as a “voluntary junior manning” (VJM) event and you will be paid a minimum of 4:30/day or flight time flown, whichever is greater, at 150% of your normal hourly rate."

 

We are issuing a cape to anyone that is wiling to pick up a trip in base Iah,Ewr,Cle or Gum. We will have embroider a big letter S on it and at the bottom we will write I am a hero on it

 

This a FLAWED staffing model...To manned an airline on the backs of volunteers is outright wrong and irresponsible. Now we know why S-CAL schedulling rules are so important to UCH. Without your help and extra effort this whole thing will fall apart. NO MONTHLY CAPS helps whom exactly? it is going to be an interesting summer....

 

sure you watch them fill those trips anyhow. Why don't you hand those capes out to the lca's and sa people, all just as bad.

 

They staff that way bc it works. I cant believe so many pilots have to make "x" amount of $ above 100 hrs.
So keep it up but eventually the systtem will fail. Maybe they fly so much bc noone wants them around or they have noone to spend time with or hobbies? Who knows? Who cares.