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.

I am thinking it has more to do with leverage... As long as sUAL furloughed pilots are working at sCAL, then there is the threat of a mass exodus to return to sUAL when they are properly recalled. I can see the MEC gasping for every bit of leverage to try and settle standing grievance. sUAL has to recall sooner rather than later...the last three vacancy bids has had A320 FO positions go unfilled at IAH and JFK. The very last award this week has six B756 FO in JFK go unfilled.

In theory, if a "senior" pilots gambles with his QOL and holds out on a captain bid and then can't hold it later, too bad. That's their choice. Upgrade or don't upgrade, but it's not the fault of a "junior" pilot.

Everyone knows that we have been merging for a couple years (SLI).
Everyone knows that age 65 retirements started in Dec 2012.
Everyone knows that both airlines are already short-staffed.
Bid what you want, don't bid what you don't want. If you wait, you get what you get.

All good scenarios. I think that's the biggest concern is that we all have relative "knowns" now, but that is going to change this year and I don't think there is anyone that can really explain or predict what is going to happen.

Beautiful. Love it.

Agreed.

But in the case of UCH and UCH's plans for 2013, I think UAL ALPA has a very legitimate reason to "trust but verify."

Later this year "S-UAL" 737-900ERs are scheduled for delivery combined with the retirement of L-UAL 757s. Considering the total absence of a pre-SLI S-UAL 737 training program, IMHO, it's a reasonable concern of UAL ALPA that UCH could attempt to train and staff the 737-900ERs prior to combined operations using its existing S-CAL assets.

I would imagine that in a fair integration, what you could hold before the integration, you should be able to hold after!

Otherwise, the inverse is true, if you can't hold the plane before the integration, why should you be able to hold it after?

That is for the arbitrators to decide isn't it?

An LCAL 2005 hire CA totally agrees.
An LUAL 1998 hire FO totally disagrees.

What?:confused:
Can someone explain the logic of trowing $$$ for PS0 for DH to/from SFO?

A true statement if there ever was one...

There no reason why the new UAL can't train LUAL pilots at IAH in the 737. It's working pretty good so far. No need to spend money on DEN 737 training. Of course, IAH is full and they need more sims, so maybe they want some in DEN?

Very true, anything else wouldn't be "fair". It might be a "windfall" otherwise.

I'm really stuck on the "emotional impact" comment. These missives are almost always written for a larger audience and/or rife with hidden meaning and inferences; but really? "Emotional impact" specific to any one domicile (made up of adults by the way). Other L-UAL domiciles have 737s and L-CAL domiciles have 320s. Pilots in SFO can probably handle this.
The fact still remains that the junior 737 Capt in ORD has a seniority date that would have gotten him furloughed at L-UAL. Emotional impact indeed-deal with the whole group Jay.

Sim time is not the issue, S-UAL can use the S-CAL sims and/or rent sims anywhere.

Prior to combined operations the training and checking of S-UAL pilots must be conducted by active S-UAL seniority list pilots as the old UAL contract remains in force during the interim. Unless some form of relief is granted, UCH will need to spool up to train and staff an entire duplicate S-UAL 737 training department even if they can use a xerox copy of the S-CAL 737 FAA-approved curriculum.

If you are at the bottom of the UAL seniority list, how is it that you expect to not be at a similar relative position, ie towards the bottom, of the new isl.

If the merger would not have happened, once recalled to UAL, you would have assumed your position at the bottom of the list. So you would most likely be an A320 F/O.

After the isl is put together, I don't see how you would expect to be too much better off than a junior A320 F/O.

The arbitrator will have to work this all out. I am trying to understand your thinking in trying to justify something better than where you would have been had the merger not happened.
Assuming that you had an airline to come back to and that UAL wasn't pieced out in an auction like Pan Am was.

Anyone wanna take any bets on "Should"...

Almost as tired of hearing that, as much as the CAL group is tired of hearing the 1437 were furloughed to make the merger happen. Both sides will present their case, the arbitrators will decide, and then we'll all live with the results.

Fair resides not only in the present moment, but also in the future. Likewise for windfalls. All for the arbitrators to decide.

delete this

There is no possible way l-Cal can finish all of the training in this bid prior to SLI. Even just the 737 is unattainable with all of the guys moving up.

IAH Chief Pilot talked yesterday about just work rule improvement required training was about 800 pilots just for the CAL side.

He stated there will be significant numbers of unfilled vacancies at SLI. They know that and those will just be rolled for the post SLI bid.
Reminder, 270 of those bids are from Aug 2012, and the rest are for projections out 12 months, even though SLI could be in 6 months. They know they need training at IAH and dentk prior to summer.

Admiral

We are already overflowing to MIA for 737 sims. My MVLOE is there in Feb.

Admiral

I'm an LCAL pilot and I'm on the side of the "2005 CA who totally agrees." How does someone expect to be anywhere else on the seniority list than about where they are now. But "our planes our bigger than your planes" and "the SLI snapshot should be taken pre furlough" are their two big arguments for getting a windfall from this.

What about career expectations?

And 88 L-UAL recall notices went out today. Now the fun begins.

Admiral

I'll bet Pierce fought that tooth and nail.

I heard he was real "emotional" about it as well.

The career expectations (career earnings) of a currently unemployed pilot who will return as a junior FO for awhile and eventually become a wide body captain for one year starting at 64 vs a pilot who is currently a narrow body captain at 35 and will remain so (or better) for 30 years may not be so different.

As long as it is all factored in to the SLI I am OK with it, are you?

When it's done I will be happy it's over. Right now it's like a sporting event or political contest--exciting to watch and don't know the outcome, except there's a lot more at stake.

How many will come back?