Future Vacancy Bids
 

January 25, 2013

Dear Fellow Pilots:

As you are likely aware by now, the company has issued System Bid 14-02 for the Continental Pilots. This System Bid deserves some mention.

The JCBA Section 8, Staffing, specifies that bid awards for United Airlines be Vacancy Bids, very much like the current system under which the United Pilots are familiar. However, the Joint Implementation Team (JIT) was unable to reach agreement on early implementation of the JCBA Section 8 Vacancy bids for the Continental side of the operation. As such, the company utilized the Continental System Bid while transitioning. This should be the last CAL System Bid as all future bids should be fully implemented under the United Pilot Agreement (UPA) Section 8-C Vacancy Bidding provisions. There is a large amount of UPA “soft time” (e.g., trip and duty rigs, M5D, training and vacation credit increases) being introduced into the CAL operation between now and September, creating an understaffing situation on the CAL side. The Company felt that it needed to put a bid out now in order to get pilots trained and in place for the big M5D credit increase slated for September. The number of vacancies announced under the CAL System Bid, while appearing large, also includes 270 of those previously unfilled vacancies from the August 2012 award – they are not in addition to the August 2012 bid.

The CAL language requires System Bids twice a year, the last being in August 2012. The current bid was due in December 2012. As late as last week, the CAL Bid specified a new CAL 757/767 base in LAX and a new CAL 737 base in SFO. Through the efforts of the United MEC, we were able to convince the company of the ramifications of such a bid ahead of an Integrated Seniority List (ISL) in a few months. We reminded the company that a CAL 757/767 in LAX was a violation of the TPA and gave notice of a TPA dispute. A CAL 737 base in SFO, while permitted in the TPA extension, would have had an emotional impact on the United Pilots. The company has complied with the terms of the TPA and has codified the cancellation of any outstanding bids upon ISL without training class dates. The CAL Pilots currently bid for training dates so this will necessitate that the senior pilots actually bid for training lest they lose those bids to pilots junior to them.

Coinciding with the CAL bids will be an announcement of recalls for the United furloughees. While we hoped the number of initial recalls would be larger, it is another important step towards returning all our furloughees to the United property. In the interim, we encourage United furloughees to accept pilot positions at Continental to curtail the filling of vacancies with new hires. We are also striving to increase training at the Denver Training Center to capacity.

The first Vacancy Bid after ISL will be system-wide and open to all United Pilots. The United MEC wants an equitable transition and implementation so that there is no inverse disparity after ISL. This is for the benefit of all Pilots as we look to the future of operating as one Airline under one Contract and one Seniority List.

We are United,




Captain Jay Heppner
Chairman, United Master Executive Council

Why does JH encourage the curtailing of vacancies being filled at L-CAL by new hires if it has no bearing on the SLI (allegedly)? Serious question.

Great basis for business decisions. Next, LUAL drops the profit sharing grievance because "profit sharing, while not permitted in the TPA, would have had an emotional impact on the Continental pilots if they didn't get it" and "SLI should be by DOH because if it isn't it will have an emotional impact on LUAL pilots."

Pilots everywhere have often chosen to bypass CA upgrade to remain FOs to maintain QOL. It's a personal choice. This bid is no different than any other. But it indicates the perspective of the UAL MEC that somehow junior pilots upgrading is harmful to them. It will make no difference in the SLI, but that statement lends credence to the rumor that the UAL MEC believes it will.

I was wondering that as well. They either perceive (erroneously) that OTS hiring (along with his statement about junior LCAL pilots upgrading) to be an SLI threat.

Or it could have to do with furlough hiring protocols, that once bypassing the LCAL hire offer twice, they have to initiate by notifying company of intent to return, and then they can only return to a vacancy, which could be near--or far if the classes are filled with OTS new hires. If they wait too long it could be many months until there's a spot for them to return to.

My guess is that it's not so much a concern of new hires as much as the past practice of "no bump, no flush" in previous merger awards between ALPA carriers. The ramifications should be obvious.

Could you please elaborate on that for those who don't get the reference?

From an earlier update:

Continued L-CAL hiring opportunities for Furloughed United Pilots
As we work toward an Integrated Seniority List, pilot positions at L-CAL will continue to be available to Furloughed United Pilots under the terms of the Merger Transition and Process Agreement (JCBA LOA 25 Paragraph 5). Class dates are currently available starting every Tuesday through April 2013. That being said, if you are planning to accept a job offer at CAL make sure you take into consideration that you must give 30 days notice of your intent to come off of “Bypass” in order to be placed in a class and that class must have available slots. Vacant positions still being filled are IAH 737, EWR 737 and some EWR 756 positions. GUM 737 volunteers will be accepted at any time. Positions not filled by furloughed United pilots will be filled by “new hires” off the street. As of the end of 2012 L-CAL has already hired 26 “new hire” pilots off the street. Until the Seniority List Integration process is completed hiring off the street to fill positions at L-CAL not filled by United furloughees will continue, with the likely possibility of entire classes being filled by pilots hired off the street later this Spring (This assumption is based on the number of furloughed United pilots currently coming off of bypass to fill the currently offered positions).

Some things to consider when deciding whether or not to come off of bypass and accept a job offer at L-CAL, especially for those who are junior on the recall list:

· Once the operational merger is complete the hiring process at L-CAL will stop and the recall process at the “new” United will begin. If you are junior on the seniority list you have the opportunity to return now instead of waiting for furlough recall, which, depending on the acceptance rate, could be later this year or possibly sometime in 2014 if you are very junior.
· By accepting a job offer at L-CAL you will be on property when the SLI is complete and will be eligible to participate in the first vacancy bid of the combined list, which may afford you the opportunity to get to where you want to be sooner than waiting.
· If you are an involuntarily furloughed pilot, recall once the “operational” merger is complete will be to the unfilled vacancies at the “new” United, most likely determined by a combined vacancy bid. The domicile and equipment offered in your recall class may not be to a previous L-UAL domicile or equipment, but could most likely be to the same domiciles and equipment as are available now in the class slots still available at L-CAL. Furthermore, an assignment to GUM may no longer be voluntary, as it currently is, because GUM will be a “United” domicile once the merger is complete

He's emotionally impacted. Seriously.

Once a pilot is in a seat, he/she can't be bumped out (flushed) in subsequent bids, or in this case as a result of SLI, by a more senior pilot looking for the same base/fleet/seat.

The concern is that pilots who may not have the seniority horsepower to bid a seat after SLI may get one prior to SLI. Yes, after SLI they will always be "junior" (relatively) in that base/fleet/seat but they will hold onto it until they bid something else or they are surplussed by a change in staffing requirements.

In theory this would reduce the number of potential bidding opportunities for more senior pilots that could otherwise hold the seat after SLI.