Twice,
You are pretty much on the inside track...
There will be NO INVOLUNTARY furloughs.
The VFLR will be posted on March 4th (Unofficial, and not in writing yet) however, that will be the date and it will run for 45 days plus 7. Keep in mind, (and this info will be sent out on the E-line) that a f/a that is eligible submits a application for VFLR, they have only 7 days to rescind that application AFTER SUBMISSION. That means you dont have 45 days, and then the 7. The 7days is for those who sign up on the 45th day.
If the VFLR is over subscribed, there will be additional release dates with the first one on June 1. Again not all who sign up will get the unemployement piece as that unemployment is now triggered by how many are coming back on June 2, (scheudled for 406). But many won't come back.
If the f/as keeep resigning, and retiring at the rate of about 100 per month, there won't be any unemployment as part of the VFLR.
The concept behind the VFLR is to allow folks who want to leave (which is huge) to go, and take the money to bridge to another job and get out of this business. At the same time you have the ERI incentive for future retirees for 2005. Many, Many f/as are retiring. Dec. alone we had 152 f/as that either resigned or retired. The biggest attrition in our history in one month.
Trust, there will be not one forced out. And the entire point was to balance the population of workers so that the company didn't make us take a 15% paycut for 7 years to pay for all of us senior folks to stay. It was important to keep a semi-livable wage (9% cut) to maintain a profession for thos who wanted to stay or needed to stay.
I ask that all f/as try to keep a good record while here, and DO NOT RESIGN until the VFLR is granted to you and you have a release date. This is what we paid for, negotiated, and this is what created a ratification of 62% FOR. The company WILL NOT get away with not paying it or providing it and they would like to see folks just resign without waiting, which is currently happening. And I am hoping that it is grossly oversubscribed to get as many folks released from here as possible, especially those folks who believe there is no future for them here.
Also, the concept is to bring back the 1,700 involuntary furloughees back to mainline, if they want to come back, and if the 270 fa/s at MAA want to come. I've already heard that some MAA f/as never want to come back to mainline.
All of this is contingent that the company remain in business. So far, I have seen a viable plan to achieve this.
My personal feeling on this is that U is like a boat just floating in the water with no sails or ores...
Buying time, waiting for a rescue, merger, consolidation, buy out/takover.
