To B or not to B
The status quo :
-C package attracts enough suitable candidates ( suitable as defined by the company and not as seen by most existing CX pilots)
- B scale crew costs are higher than at CX's competition
( HK airlines, Chinese carriers), and the competition is gaining market share
- DFO under pressure to cut costs as per executive order by the board
- traing ban, more or less sucessful
- cc, more or less effective
What can the DFO/GMA/GMO do? (purely to follow the executive order, not to satisfy other opinions or requests)
2 S/O's seems to be a logical step in my opinion ( not interested in a normative discussion, just saying it makes sense from a cost cutting point of view)
What should we do?
The answer in my opinion is: it depends on your own status.
If you are a C scaler you might want to go all in. What do you have to lose? Not much seniority, your package is similar to the competition, not much to lose apart a delay regarding internal promotion.
I am not a C scaler. I don't know what C scaler want.
I hope C scaler get as much as possible.
I want to make that clear.
But also I must emphasize that I have no idea what that actually means. How much is enough? What kind of increase? After all the package is exactly what they signed up for, so did they only sign up for a few years, do they have double income, own a propery somewhere else, do they just want the hours,I simply do not know.
There is endless speculation in here about the motives of C scalers, their alleged sealed faith, what their future looks like, what kind of financial desaster they may or may not face, etc etc.
I do not want to discuss that, please.
In my opinion it is not helpful to discuss the future, it is not relevant and we do not know for certain what will happen anyway. They might leave, they might stay, they might get an increase to convince them to stay down the road, god knows.
I am a B scaler. I am interested in my package.
Nobody of you is really interested in the pay of flight attendants ( except maybe if you are married or divorced by one), engineers, office staff etc.
Still that doesn't make one a bad person, right? So please consider this when I say again:
I am interested in my package as a B scaler.
What should be the way forward?
Why do so many B scalers support the past confrontational position?
Was it really the fine print? Was 5 % not enough?
I find that very hard to believe.
My guess is that a reduction of the B package is seen by many as a threat of their own conditions.
I don't understand this position. Why would it? C was introduced almost 10 years ago, and A hasn't been cut either before that, so what is the problem?
I have not met anyone who could give me a consise and logical answer on that.
Is this maybe just a bitter fight of everything and everybody in the hope of retaining something? Resistance as a principle?
I think this might be a possibility.
A somehow understandable position regarding the frustrating decline of our industry, but nevertheless not helpful in my opinion. The pressure of cutting costs will not go away.
Why not try to retain some control and cooperate? If we just oppose everything, they will impose whatever they can. At least that is what I would do as a manager. Why try to find a compromise if the result is resistance anyway?
I am looking forward to hear other arguments.
My conclusion is very clear:
as B scaler it is in our interest to find ways for the company to cut costs.
I also think that a 5 % increase over two years is fair. I want to keep my housing, because that is what I signed up for. Not getting housing would be a cut of -70 %, so why argue about a 5 or 6 % increase? Makes no sense to me.
I did not join with 21 and training paid for, I joined as a captain with many thousands of hours. I think I deserve my contract to be honoured, in return I am willing to end CC and the training ban asap.
Do I think the company cares about my personal well-beeing?
Laughable.
There might be lehal issues, there might be some people who would actually leave, in any case I think the main reason B could survive is when the costs of B scale decline every year until they are finally gone. That is how A scale ( sort of) survived.
B needs C to survive.
Now, before you all have a go at me.
Please consider two facts.
1) CC and the training ban are in effect for years now I believe. How did that work out so far? Did it stop the company of e.g. imposing S/O pairings? What did we actually gain so far? Of course you can always claim victory is imminent, but that is objectively a more and more fragile position to say the least, isn't it?
Of course there is a (theoretical) possibility that the union talks will result in significant improvements. I do not know the outcome, as none of you do. All I am saying is, in my opinion the risks of stalled talks are extremely high if you are a B scaler.
2) What would you do as DFO if the union talks stall (again)?
( please no arguments about why the DFO has to cut costs and certainly please no arguments about how costs could remain where they are)
I urge you to accept the dual system of B and C, and I urge you to accept the next offer if it contains the single most valuable part of our contract: