Australian Airline Pilot: Respected Profession or 'Noose around your Neck'
So will Qantas workers accept 9% for a 5 year deal?
David Marin-GuzmanWorkplace correspondentJul 21, 2023 – 12.19pm
Save
ShareThe NSW public sector union has agreed to a 4 per cent pay rise for more than 80,000 public servants, marking the effective end of the state’s decades-long wage cap.
The Public Service Association is the first union to accept the Minns government’s pay offer, with more than 120,000 nurses and health workers voting on it amid complaints from some members that the decade-high increase amounts to a real wage cut.
NSW Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis: “The wages cap is dead.” James Alcock Together with the compulsory 0.5 per cent increase in superannuation, the one-year pay deal is estimated to cost the state budget $618 million.
NSW Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis said that the government’s pay offer had meant the previous government’s 3 per cent wages cap is “obsolete”.
“The Liberal-National’s wages cap eroded trust between essential workers and government, suppressed wages and led to the staffing crisis. The wages cap is dead,” she said. “The people of NSW deserve world-class public services. We will continue to keep people at the heart of all of our work.”
The PSA deal will cover public servants across all government departments and agencies, prison officers, park rangers, school support staff, child protection workers, case workers, Rural Fire Service employees and State Emergency Service employees.
The union formally accepted the wage offer at the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) on Thursday following majority member support, with the increase to get backdated to July 1.
While 4 per cent is below the March Consumer Price Index of 5.1 per cent, it is the biggest pay increase for NSW public sector employees in more than a decade.
It comes as state governments are revising their wage caps in the face of high inflation, with Queensland paying out 6 per cent increases including CPI bonuses and Victoria revising its wage cap from 1.5 per cent to 3 per cent.
The Reserve Bank has cited state wage caps as one of the inhibitors to overall wage growth, but has also cautioned against excessive pay rises out of concerns they could perpetuate high inflation.
Earlier this month, the Minns government offered the Health Services Union a $3500 increase – equating to pay rises of 4.5 per cent to 8.5 per cent depending on wage levels – for hospital cleaners, security officers, administration or wards workers.
The HSU, which had has threatened stoppages in support of a 6 per cent pay rise, is still polling its 74,000 members on whether to take the $3500 increase or accept a flat 4 per cent.
HSU NSW secretary Gerard Hayes said that the voting would end next Friday but was “pretty split - it’s not far off 50-50”.
He said the pay rise meant those under $90,000 - the majority of union members - would get pay rises above 4 per cent while those earning more would get less. However, the HSU will run work value cases to increase award rates for those on higher salaries.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association is set to poll its 50,000 public hospital members over the next two weeks on whether to accept a 4 per cent pay rise.
NMA state secretary Shaye Candish said that the union had not taken a position on the proposal but that “members broadly are not happy with the 4 per cent pay offer”.
NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said his union’s award did not expire until the end of the year. Nevertheless, it had been negotiating with the government since the election and had set a deadline for an outcome by July 31.
“We’ve made it very clear to the government that it needs to stop dragging its feet to an outcome, noting the severity of teacher shortages are still impacting schools greatly,” he said.
The government is still to formally remove the wages cap, which is legislated and currently at 3 per cent.
It is awaiting a report from the industrial relations taskforce, headed by former Fair Work Commission deputy president Anna Booth and former NSW IRC president Roger Bolan, to come up with a “modern industrial relations framework” to replace the wages cap. The taskforce is due to report back by the end of the year.
The public servant pay deal is expected to compensate public servants for the next 12 months until the new framework is implemented
‘The wage cap is dead’: NSW public servants accept 4pc pay rise
David Marin-GuzmanWorkplace correspondentJul 21, 2023 – 12.19pmSave
ShareThe NSW public sector union has agreed to a 4 per cent pay rise for more than 80,000 public servants, marking the effective end of the state’s decades-long wage cap.
The Public Service Association is the first union to accept the Minns government’s pay offer, with more than 120,000 nurses and health workers voting on it amid complaints from some members that the decade-high increase amounts to a real wage cut.
NSW Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis: “The wages cap is dead.” James Alcock Together with the compulsory 0.5 per cent increase in superannuation, the one-year pay deal is estimated to cost the state budget $618 million.NSW Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis said that the government’s pay offer had meant the previous government’s 3 per cent wages cap is “obsolete”.
“The Liberal-National’s wages cap eroded trust between essential workers and government, suppressed wages and led to the staffing crisis. The wages cap is dead,” she said. “The people of NSW deserve world-class public services. We will continue to keep people at the heart of all of our work.”
The PSA deal will cover public servants across all government departments and agencies, prison officers, park rangers, school support staff, child protection workers, case workers, Rural Fire Service employees and State Emergency Service employees.
The union formally accepted the wage offer at the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) on Thursday following majority member support, with the increase to get backdated to July 1.
While 4 per cent is below the March Consumer Price Index of 5.1 per cent, it is the biggest pay increase for NSW public sector employees in more than a decade.
It comes as state governments are revising their wage caps in the face of high inflation, with Queensland paying out 6 per cent increases including CPI bonuses and Victoria revising its wage cap from 1.5 per cent to 3 per cent.
The Reserve Bank has cited state wage caps as one of the inhibitors to overall wage growth, but has also cautioned against excessive pay rises out of concerns they could perpetuate high inflation.
Earlier this month, the Minns government offered the Health Services Union a $3500 increase – equating to pay rises of 4.5 per cent to 8.5 per cent depending on wage levels – for hospital cleaners, security officers, administration or wards workers.
The HSU, which had has threatened stoppages in support of a 6 per cent pay rise, is still polling its 74,000 members on whether to take the $3500 increase or accept a flat 4 per cent.
HSU NSW secretary Gerard Hayes said that the voting would end next Friday but was “pretty split - it’s not far off 50-50”.
He said the pay rise meant those under $90,000 - the majority of union members - would get pay rises above 4 per cent while those earning more would get less. However, the HSU will run work value cases to increase award rates for those on higher salaries.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association is set to poll its 50,000 public hospital members over the next two weeks on whether to accept a 4 per cent pay rise.
NMA state secretary Shaye Candish said that the union had not taken a position on the proposal but that “members broadly are not happy with the 4 per cent pay offer”.
NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said his union’s award did not expire until the end of the year. Nevertheless, it had been negotiating with the government since the election and had set a deadline for an outcome by July 31.
“We’ve made it very clear to the government that it needs to stop dragging its feet to an outcome, noting the severity of teacher shortages are still impacting schools greatly,” he said.
The government is still to formally remove the wages cap, which is legislated and currently at 3 per cent.
It is awaiting a report from the industrial relations taskforce, headed by former Fair Work Commission deputy president Anna Booth and former NSW IRC president Roger Bolan, to come up with a “modern industrial relations framework” to replace the wages cap. The taskforce is due to report back by the end of the year.
The public servant pay deal is expected to compensate public servants for the next 12 months until the new framework is implemented
Imagine the Australian aviation industry today if AIPA and AFAP considered that over the past few decades of negotiating.
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Probably would have been best to have left it there.
Actually, not interesting reading at all. You have managed to mangle yet another pair of different financial measures; this time Total Debt and Net Debt, two different things. Qantas's FY22 Net Debt was $3.9 billion.
Fess up now, you are Rex's numbers guy, aren't you.
Fess up now, you are Rex's numbers guy, aren't you.
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I don't get it at all. I fly a plane. Numbers $$$ aren't my thing. Its all BULL****! ALL OF IT!
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Pilots at FedEx Express have rejected a tentative agreement to amend their contract, which would have increased pay by up to 30% over the five-year term, the Air Line Pilots Association announced Monday.
The labor deal was voted down by a margin of 57% to 43%. FedEx employs nearly 6,000 pilots. FedEx and union negotiators will now have to work on developing a new labor deal.
"Our members have spoken and we will now regroup and prepare for the next steps. In the coming weeks, the FedEx ALPA leadership will meet to establish a timeline for assessing pilot group priorities moving forward. FedEx pilots remain unified and that will drive a new path that will help produce an agreement that all FedEx pilots will be proud to support," said Capt. Chris Norman, the FedEx ALPA chair.
"The tentative agreement voting results have no impact on our service as we continue delivering for our customers around the world," FedEx said in a statement. "The parties will return to negotiations under the supervision of the National Mediation Board. While we are disappointed in these voting results,
FedEx will continue to bargain in good faith with our pilots to achieve an agreement that is fair for all FedEx stakeholders."
The vote adds to uncertainty for FedEx at a time of heightened labor activism following the COVID pandemic. Pilots had authorized union leadership to initiate a strike vote before union negotiators reached agreement May 30 on a new deal. The rejection comes as rival UPS braces for a possible strike by 340,000 Teamsters workers that could begin Aug. 1 if the sides don't reach a resolution this week. UPS pilots have said they will walk off the job in solidarity with UPS truck drivers, parcel carriers and warehouse workers.
Pilots who voted against the FedEx deal have complained about weaker job protections, back pay, alternative pension options and that pay increases were margins. redex is also accelerating ne retirement oT older aircratt and temporarily parking others because of the slowdown in air volumes.
Management has said it plans to make the air network leaner, including by substituting truck service on certain connecting routes to enable consolidation and increase aircraft load factors, and relying more on outsourced air transport, especially for deferred parcels, routes with fluctuating demand and heavyweight freight. The company is also closing some pilot bases and its maintenance facility in Los Angeles.
The tentative labor agreement would have allowed FedEx Express to place more work during surge periods with third-party airlines without paying a higher penalty, but many pilots were concerned that language prohibiting outsourcing if FedEx reduces flight hours or furlough pilots wasn't strong enough. Under the existing arrangement, FedEx pays a financial penalty to the union that gets distributed to pilots if the company goes above the agreed cap on shipment volume that can be given to charter airlines. Opponents feared FedEx might simply not replace older pilots as they retire and then claim a need to hire partner carriers to meet demand.
Adding to concern was last week's hiring of former Atlas Air CEO John Dietrich to be FedEx's chief financial officer, who many accused in online chat rooms of undermining Atlas pilots by acquiring another cargo airline with weaker pilot benefits and shifting more work there until the pilot groups were merged years later. A majority of Atlas Air pilots were unhappy with their amended 2021 contract because terms they didn't like were forced on them through arbitration.
Many members also thought recovery pay, retroactively owed for the 18 months since the contract was eligible to be changed, was too low and disagreed with the union on how inflation was calculated.
In addition to a 30% pay increase, the pilot contract included a 30% increase to the legacy pension and a company-funded replacement for the legacy pension. ALPA pushed hard for ratitication, arguing the deal represented the largest investment in a pilot contract, on a per-capita basis, and that it substantially raised the bar on pilot retirement.
The vote was a rebuke to ALPA's leadership and the Master Executive Council, made up of officers from the pilot group. Some pilots celebrating the outcome on pilot forums called on union representatives to resign. A common theme among opponents is that the Master Executive Council tried very hard to sell a deal using fear of potential job losses without passage instead of allowing the agreement to sell itself.
"We will NOT vote in concessions. Not after Covid, not after the Billions executives have squeezed out through stock buybacks, not after our daytime flying passenger brethren at much less profitable carriers are ratifying true industry leading contracts that do not require special math," said one pilot who goes by the handle CloudSailor.
Other pilot groups have successfully completed new labor agreements.
Pilots at Delta Air Lines agreed in March to a deal that raises pay 34% over four years. A week ago, pilots at United Airlines agreed to a preliminary package that includes pay hikes up to 40.2% over four years. American Airlines last week boosted its offer for a new pilot contract by more than $1 billion to match the United deal on wage scales and other benefits. The original
American deal gave pilots a 40% raise over the four-year term.
Pilots at Hawaiian Airlines and all-cargo operator Amerijet also finalized contracts that gave pilots large pay hikes
The labor deal was voted down by a margin of 57% to 43%. FedEx employs nearly 6,000 pilots. FedEx and union negotiators will now have to work on developing a new labor deal.
"Our members have spoken and we will now regroup and prepare for the next steps. In the coming weeks, the FedEx ALPA leadership will meet to establish a timeline for assessing pilot group priorities moving forward. FedEx pilots remain unified and that will drive a new path that will help produce an agreement that all FedEx pilots will be proud to support," said Capt. Chris Norman, the FedEx ALPA chair.
"The tentative agreement voting results have no impact on our service as we continue delivering for our customers around the world," FedEx said in a statement. "The parties will return to negotiations under the supervision of the National Mediation Board. While we are disappointed in these voting results,
FedEx will continue to bargain in good faith with our pilots to achieve an agreement that is fair for all FedEx stakeholders."
The vote adds to uncertainty for FedEx at a time of heightened labor activism following the COVID pandemic. Pilots had authorized union leadership to initiate a strike vote before union negotiators reached agreement May 30 on a new deal. The rejection comes as rival UPS braces for a possible strike by 340,000 Teamsters workers that could begin Aug. 1 if the sides don't reach a resolution this week. UPS pilots have said they will walk off the job in solidarity with UPS truck drivers, parcel carriers and warehouse workers.
Pilots who voted against the FedEx deal have complained about weaker job protections, back pay, alternative pension options and that pay increases were margins. redex is also accelerating ne retirement oT older aircratt and temporarily parking others because of the slowdown in air volumes.
Management has said it plans to make the air network leaner, including by substituting truck service on certain connecting routes to enable consolidation and increase aircraft load factors, and relying more on outsourced air transport, especially for deferred parcels, routes with fluctuating demand and heavyweight freight. The company is also closing some pilot bases and its maintenance facility in Los Angeles.
The tentative labor agreement would have allowed FedEx Express to place more work during surge periods with third-party airlines without paying a higher penalty, but many pilots were concerned that language prohibiting outsourcing if FedEx reduces flight hours or furlough pilots wasn't strong enough. Under the existing arrangement, FedEx pays a financial penalty to the union that gets distributed to pilots if the company goes above the agreed cap on shipment volume that can be given to charter airlines. Opponents feared FedEx might simply not replace older pilots as they retire and then claim a need to hire partner carriers to meet demand.
Adding to concern was last week's hiring of former Atlas Air CEO John Dietrich to be FedEx's chief financial officer, who many accused in online chat rooms of undermining Atlas pilots by acquiring another cargo airline with weaker pilot benefits and shifting more work there until the pilot groups were merged years later. A majority of Atlas Air pilots were unhappy with their amended 2021 contract because terms they didn't like were forced on them through arbitration.
Many members also thought recovery pay, retroactively owed for the 18 months since the contract was eligible to be changed, was too low and disagreed with the union on how inflation was calculated.
In addition to a 30% pay increase, the pilot contract included a 30% increase to the legacy pension and a company-funded replacement for the legacy pension. ALPA pushed hard for ratitication, arguing the deal represented the largest investment in a pilot contract, on a per-capita basis, and that it substantially raised the bar on pilot retirement.
The vote was a rebuke to ALPA's leadership and the Master Executive Council, made up of officers from the pilot group. Some pilots celebrating the outcome on pilot forums called on union representatives to resign. A common theme among opponents is that the Master Executive Council tried very hard to sell a deal using fear of potential job losses without passage instead of allowing the agreement to sell itself.
"We will NOT vote in concessions. Not after Covid, not after the Billions executives have squeezed out through stock buybacks, not after our daytime flying passenger brethren at much less profitable carriers are ratifying true industry leading contracts that do not require special math," said one pilot who goes by the handle CloudSailor.
Other pilot groups have successfully completed new labor agreements.
Pilots at Delta Air Lines agreed in March to a deal that raises pay 34% over four years. A week ago, pilots at United Airlines agreed to a preliminary package that includes pay hikes up to 40.2% over four years. American Airlines last week boosted its offer for a new pilot contract by more than $1 billion to match the United deal on wage scales and other benefits. The original
American deal gave pilots a 40% raise over the four-year term.
Pilots at Hawaiian Airlines and all-cargo operator Amerijet also finalized contracts that gave pilots large pay hikes
Generally accepted etiquette would be to post either an acknowledgement of the source (eg Freightwaves.com FedEx pilots reject new labor deal, Eric Kulisch, Monday, July 24, 2023) or a link to the source when pasting someone else's work.
Generally accepted etiquette would be to post either an acknowledgement of the source (eg Freightwaves.com FedEx pilots reject new labor deal, Eric Kulisch, Monday, July 24, 2023) or a link to the source when pasting someone else's work.
Yes teacher
From Avweb.
Young pilots are increasingly putting golden moments above gold stripes and that could mean more delays and cancellations for passengers. The Regional Airline Association first flagged the issue of first officers avoiding promotion and said up to 20 percent of its members’ flights were canceled because of the captain shortage. The promotion can be unappealing because it often results in life-disrupting commutes and unpredictable schedules. Now the majors are reporting a similar trend, and the numbers are significant.According to Reuters, there are almost 1,000 unfilled captain positions at United Airlines and Dennis Tajer, the president of the Allied Pilots Association at American Airlines, said twice as many right-seaters are resisting the shift to the left seat than seven years ago. He said about 7,000 FOs had avoided promotion in that time. The airlines are addressing the issue with quality-of-life enhancements in contracts like scheduling changes to try to avoid the four- and five-day grinds that some junior captains face and bonus pay to compensate for the misery.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said lifestyle enhancements were a significant part of the $9 billion contract offer the airline has made to its pilots, and American Airlines has now increased the package it’s offering its pilots. The company announced on Sunday it has sweetened the pot by $1 billion to $9 billion and most of that is going into working conditions improvements.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said lifestyle enhancements were a significant part of the $9 billion contract offer the airline has made to its pilots, and American Airlines has now increased the package it’s offering its pilots. The company announced on Sunday it has sweetened the pot by $1 billion to $9 billion and most of that is going into working conditions improvements.
Now I'm retired I can tell you it's definately a noose around your neck once you are locked in. Most industries are the same. It comes down to how high you swing.
Thread Starter
No...not (yet), but I am the Call Centre guy who runs the numbers while the Boss is away...
So a 26% Net Debt reduction over 12 months is only ½ handsome reading...like someone's brother's sister
So a 26% Net Debt reduction over 12 months is only ½ handsome reading...like someone's brother's sister
Last edited by RealSatoshi; 27th Jul 2023 at 02:17.
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Behind a paywall. Any chance of pasting in the article?
Pilots demand more pay from airlines as many head to the US where wages are higher
A global pilot shortage is already starting to bite airlines.[img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7[/img]
By ROBYN IRONSIDE
- 4:37PM JULY 27, 2023
The Australian Federation of Air Pilots said that in the past year, more than 1000 pilots had been issued with visas to work in the US where airlines were offering $100,000 sign-on bonuses and handsome packages.
AFAP president Louise Pole said locally, smaller airlines such as Rex and Bonza were already feeling the pinch which would become more prevalent as pilots headed abroad.
“We’re very aware of quite large numbers of Australian pilots who’ve already left to go overseas,” Ms Pole said.
“In the US we have numbers of over 1000 who’ve been issued visas in the last year and countries such as China are starting to pick back up again.
“Pilots are taking that work because they are literally much better paid than they are in Australia, so it is time for the Australian companies to acknowledge and admit there is a pilot shortage and wages and conditions need to improve.”
The warning came as Qantas and Virgin Australia pilots prepared to begin negotiations for new enterprise bargaining agreements.
After accepting pay cuts to help the airline out of administration, Virgin Australia pilots were expected to seek significant increases to bring them back into line with their peers.
Qantas pilots were considered less likely to head overseas due to the career path the airline offered, and the fact pay rates were generally the highest in Australia.
However, the group was understood to have lost a number of pilots from its Network Aviation and National Jet Systems operations.
Australian and International Pilots Association president Tony Lucas. Rex announced on Thursday its own pilot workforce had just signed a new deal, noting “almost three-quarters” of the pilot body supported it. Close to a third of Rex’s fleet of Saab 340s are still grounded, however, due to a shortage of pilots to fly the 34-seat aircraft.
The shortage of pilots was blamed for a reduction in frequencies to nine regional routes, and the suspension of the Mildura-Adelaide route.
Ms Pole said most of the pilots heading overseas were in the “early phase of their career” which would have an impact as more pilots retired.
“The other issue is people aren’t training to be pilots as much as they used to. People don’t want to be pilots anymore,” she said.
“It’s quite a complex reason. There’s the expense involved in the training and the commitment but mostly it’s the working conditions.”
She said that “once upon a time” pilots were considered to be very well paid professionals but now many other jobs offered similar remuneration without the requirement for shift work, night work and being away from home.
“It makes people think ‘why do I need to do that when I can work nine to five and have every weekend off’. So there needs to be some compensation for that,” Ms Pole said.
Australian and International Pilots Association president Tony Lucas said a recent internal engagement survey conducted by Qantas found most pilots did not feel valued or respected.
He said the sense of security pilots used to feel, had been eroded through the turmoil of Covid-19 and industrial threats to outsource their jobs.
“US airlines are offering longer-term career pathways with better remuneration and that’s becoming increasingly attractive to Australian pilots,” Mr Lucas said.
“Anecdotally we hear that when Australian pilots move to work for carriers in the US they are often made to feel like an integral and highly valued part of the organisation rather than just another business unit.”
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has previously said the airline was immune from any shortage of pilots because it was the airline most pilots wanted to work for.
A pilot training academy at Toowoomba in Queensland opened in January 2020 also helped ensure a pipeline of talent for Qantas, with the airline offering 50 scholarships over the next five years
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Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has previously said the airline was immune from any shortage of pilots because it was the airline most pilots wanted to work for.
Joyce is right that Qantas mainline will never be short of pilots. But the jet subsidiaries and Alliance is where the growth is being targeted. Without any real improvement in pay and conditions, that growth simply won’t happen.
The size of the A330 replacement order will be telling, now that the A321XLR is running into certification issues with its extra fuel tank.
It may have its range trimmed to 4000nm (or less) in the planned QF configuration, which takes some key cities out of play from the big 5 Aus ports.
The size of the A330 replacement order will be telling, now that the A321XLR is running into certification issues with its extra fuel tank.
It may have its range trimmed to 4000nm (or less) in the planned QF configuration, which takes some key cities out of play from the big 5 Aus ports.
900 pilots in the next 5 years is the rumour. New orders for 787s and 350s to be announced at the annual results in August.
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Don’t get jealous Flyboy, maybe you can go join one of the subsidiaries instead and enjoy your substandard pay.