Originally Posted by
The_Equaliser
In regards to the proposed variation to the QF SHEA there has been a gag order imposed by the AIPA Comm. Carried by 1 vote the negotiators or Comm members are not able to comment on the pros and cons of the proposal to be voted on. Two of the AIPA Comm members who voted for this are long time LH SOs who will never come to SH. They have also recently left the AIPA Comm. AIPA President AKA Keg alluded to this in an email today. Discuss.
It doesn’t bode well for an organisation pilots send a few thousand dollars per year to represent them in situations like this.
Anyway on inspection the proposed conditions aren’t really that much of a change are they? Still will be some of the highest paid narrowbody pilots in the region, after the pandemic I thought the company would’ve made a pay cut a mandatory requirement in order to receive the new aircraft but they haven’t. Definitely more pay than any company the flying will be outsourced to if it’s a No vote. Pilots in base to get first priority in allocation of slots to avoid any unwanted transfers. FRMS looks to be similar to current FDTLs, some important parts of the rostering manual included in the variation. Very minor changes to bidding.
And then some reserves possibly allocated to those on AV days is the only real change but in fairness probably won’t be that much of an effect. The assigning of duties to crews only happens on an infrequent basis now anyway, only a few times per year. Most uncrewed reserves only happen at the last minute and the new process for allocating reserves has to be done days ahead, so last minute assignments would be a rarity.
There’s some who are angry with the process by which the variations were negotiated but you shouldn’t allow that to guide your decision making. Just consider the proposal on its own merit, with an awareness of what will happen if the vote goes either way.
If it’s a Yes then you get the A321 established in mainline under virtually the same conditions as now. Hard for them to outsource if the first aircraft are established in mainline, and any issues that arise when the operation starts can be addressed in future EBAs.
If it’s a No then the company has been pretty clear with their intentions. The Union also has not indicated that there would be any legal recourse to stop the aircraft going to another operator, of which there are plenty.
It’s a fairly easy choice tbh