Psa/crj701

skyguy25

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Nov 30, 2003
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Mainline has resumed PSA's revenue flights of the CRJ-701 and told them to move full force with differences training for all pilots and FA's. Deliveries of the aircraft will be accelerated...Interesting huh?
 
The PSA pilots contract allows for all PSA pilots to be bypassed for 90 days. So therefore, the -701's can be flown solely by APL pilots for the next 90 days. After that, PSA pilots must be in training to fly it. Ironically, the training for the -701's has been conducted at a 50/50 ratio. I think the 90 days should be used to negotiate an agreement between U Alpa and PSA Alpa. I hope they take advantage of the time.

With this in mind, I would assume that the planes are being flown by U furloughed pilots.
 
What ItsJustAJob posted is correct. All the 701s are currently getting flow by furloughed mainline pilots. The PSA pilot's contract allows this for 90 days. During this period any PSA pilot bypassed to fly the 701 must get paid 701 rates.

Passage of LOA 91 resolved one of the major problems in the negotiations between the PSA pilots and mainline pilots. LOA 91 stipulates the 70 seaters will be flown 50/50 by J4J pilots and PSA pilots. Prior to LOA 91 the mainline pilots wanted 100% of the 70 seaters. The PSA MEC wouldn't agree to this so the aircraft were parked.

The U pilots and PSA pilots are still negotiating seniority and bidding rights. The mainline pilots want seniority to be based off date of hire at mainline and the PSA pilots want it based of date of hire at PSA. Right now, the PSA pilots have a proposal on the table, but the mainline pilots don't have a negotiating commitee. Negotiations are at a stand still.

Untill seniority is worked out between the two groups, management has decided to use the bypass clause in the PSA pilots contract. This allows any new aircraft on PSA property to be flown by pilots out of seniority order for up to 90 days. Hopefully everything is worked out after the 90 day period or else we could see the 701s parked again.

On a side note, there is a TA on pay rates foe the 701s that was just released by the PSA MEC today. I heard the pay rates mirror what is paid at MDA for the EMB-170. The only difference is, PSA is blending the pay rates with the CRJ-200 pay rates because they plan on having the pilots fly both aircraft. The blending formula is as follows (CRJ-200 pay rate)(number of CRJ-200's operated)+(CRJ-701 pay rate)(number of CRJ-701s operated) / total number of CRJs = The Blended Pay Rate
 
i admire the psa pilots for sticking to what is their right! the pilots of mainline are greedy! if it has to be 50/50 then why not let it be 50/50 and let it eb based on psa seniority since the planes are flown by psa? it makes more sense for this to be based on psa than mainline seniority
 
Bluestreak -

Good post. As a side note, though, not all "mainline" pilots want to change the seniority at PSA. I think most current J4J types want to leave it the hell alone! Rules are rules, and changing them now is totally, completely, absolutely unfair! There will be DFR issues, big time, if ALPA loses control of this situation.

The selfishness of boys and gilrs who are motivated by fear never ceases to amaze me. Also, to those J4J types who are looking for a quick way off reserve: Please exersize some patience! Changing the whole system just to get you off of reserve more quickly is going to damage the careers of many J4J people. Get over yourselves long enough to sit reserve a few more months and it will all work itself out. Don't expose us all to risk just so you can have a line.

:angry:
 
The PSA TA with 701 pay rates also includes some nice work rule improvements, most of which are directed towards the reserve pilots. Playing with seniority is just flat out wrong. By the time the expanison is completed at PSA, all J4J pilots will be captains and most will be line holders anyway so why reshuffle?
 
APL Refugee,

Thanks for the correction. I should have worded my post "the mainline MEC wants..." instead of the "Mainline pilots want...".

All of the J4J pilots I have talked to at PSA are all reasonable, decent guys. I can't see why this seniority issue can't be worked out. PSA is growing so rapidly that by next summer all these issues should work out by themselves. I think a group of PSA pilots and a group of J4J pilots could easily find a solution to the seniority issues over a few beers at Stubby's (is it called Aviators now?) in DAY.
 
Bluestreak said:
I think a group of PSA pilots and a group of J4J pilots could easily find a solution to the seniority issues over a few beers at Stubby's (is it called Aviators now?) in DAY.
There is a solution and it is quite simple, PSA DOH for bidding seniority. I do feel for the APL pilots who are stuck on reserve (I've been there), but the current reserve staffing level is only temporary. It is a result of the LOA that allows the company to withold such a large amount of flying for IOE. Once this period of growth is over in April of next year things will return to normal and, as posted above, a very large number of J4J pilots will be line holders. Just be patient guys, otherwise these demands will lead to the aircraft, and thus your job, going to a lower paying contract carrier.

Skeezer
 
Bluestreak said:
All of the J4J pilots I have talked to at PSA are all reasonable, decent guys. I can't see why this seniority issue can't be worked out.
Bluestreak -

I think the reason the seniority issue is contentious is that APL, J4J pilots have no representation whatsoever. Mainline MEC isn't listening to the majority of us....probably just a few very senior folks. We just sit here.....it's like watching ping-pong.

:blink:
 
I don't see how this issue cannot be resolved.

I understand the turf issues, but the reality is that everybody is going to be getting big jets rather soon - the question being immediately or shortly.

Perhaps the unions should consider a ratio for purposes of getting folks slotted in correctly and according equal weight to both groups.
 
ITrade, you have been reading these Boards for a long time. It can be resolved as long as Mainline Pilots get THEIR way. For them, it is all about ME ME ME and NOT the rest of the Employees of USAirways Group. If it was not about them, then we would have had RJ at the W/O many years ago.
 
ITRADE said:
Perhaps the unions should consider a ratio for purposes of getting folks slotted in correctly and according equal weight to both groups.
The problem is, any type of slotted bidding, or any loss of seniority will cause pre-J4J PSA pilots to sit reserve on the Jet. Many of these people are currently flying the D328 and have been moved from their base and placed on reserve in that new base because of the J4J agreement. The only way that many of those have been able to deal with that is the promise that when they are finally on the Jet they will not have to sit reserve. Now that the Mainline MEC wants to change that many of us (myself included) are mad as heck and willing to shut things down if thats what it takes.

If things are just left alone everything will work out in the end. If not, we will continue to be a divided pilot group and may lose everything. The choice is Mainline MEC's. Just let it be.

Skeezer
 

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