737 VJM..............Take 5
 

This is going to just one long continuous pilot bulletin update. I foresee this going through the rest of this year, minimum. Summers over, UAL begins recalling in September so not only are we already short staffed and hiring off the street to fill the void, now we have UAL pilots leaving to go back to UAL as well. Thank you Jackson Martin, Chip Benton, and Fred Abbott.

Cal heroes WILL save the day most of the time! Their philosophy is simple. ". 150% to fly? Why do we even need a contract. I make more $ this way!

March 9 to March 28 so far.

Even better, on some days it's 4 1/2 per day or 150% which ever is greater. Take 2359 dept in Guam, arr 4 AM back in Guam. 3:05 block pays 13 1/2..can see why pilots take it.
Why the company offers it up or thinks it is more cost effective then hiring is beyond me. On the 737, entire system, all but 5-6 days are open for VJM.

CAL is finally getting a rig.

This is why I'm expecting classes to continue through the summer. Probably less than every other week (currently) and smaller class sizes, but I don't see how they can justify these additional costs.
At a minimum, I'd expect LCAL to run through the entire LUAL furlough list and then start interviewing for fall newhire classes.

Andy welcome to LCAL. I have only been here for two summers and a winter, not that long, but the idea of "justifying additional cost" means nothing to them. They have a the foresight of a 3 year old. They are about saving the schedule this month at the expense of next month, saving this week at the expense of next week, saving today at the expense of tomorrow, saving this current hour that the expense of the next 24.

Why does this work? Not sure but I do know that, this is a blanket statement and not totally true in every way, its the captains that pick up and save the month, the week, the day, the hour.

Now before people jump on me about that last comment I do talk to the schedulers and I am only repeating what they say to me.

This continual VJM is actually GOOD news for us. It's apparent the company has NO PROBLEM paying a perpetual 150% pay rate, so BIG pay increases should be easily acquired in our next contract. Of course, I'm sure some ALPA attorney will find a way to give it back to the company to "help us".

Wow, I have trip trade notices in so I can trade into a better trip. The open time lasts about 1/2 second before someone does a straight pick up of it. We are our own worst enemy. Why hire at all?

You guys need to start defecating in flight bags, sending them to GUM etc etc etc.

If I were a super senior F/O and my upgrade and pay raise was being forever delayed by these pigs at the trough you can bet I would not go quietly into the night.

If I were at the top of the reserve lines I would be furious that my line holding days were being pushed further and further away because of the lack of movement caused in large part by the above mentioned pigs.



WAKE UP!