US Airways' Reserve System Sucks!

[FlightChic]

I am so fed up with our reserve system! If you could make changes to the system, what would you do? I vote for a rotating system with a minimum guarantee of 80 hours and shifts. Also, how many of you have contacted the union about our flawed reserve system? If so, what kind of response did you get? I'm under the impression that many of the reps don't care about us reserves, or at least that is my experience.

 

[beachboy]

I am so fed up with our reserve system! If you could make changes to the system, what would you do? I vote for a rotating system with a minimum guarantee of 80 hours and shifts. Also, how many of you have contacted the union about our flawed reserve system? If so, what kind of response did you get? I'm under the impression that many of the reps don't care about us reserves, or at least that is my experience.

You got it. Care? Carol Austin never has picked up a piece of trash in 4 years off an aircraft so you think she cares about Reserves? Oh thats too much!!! Lets take first things first. Mike Flores and friends impliment changes to option 18 without a peep to us the memebers but then has the nerve to say "no one has complained"? Well ok ....we didn't know what you were up too! AFA takes direction from us the memebers of AFA not the other way around. And just try to bring up rotation reserve with AFA...they will flat out tell you it won't pass and get lost. Isn't that for us to decide? Oh I forgot, it's a dictatorship because we are too busy commuting or in our own little world to give a crap!

 

[EMBFA]

So glad you asked, my lovely flight sister!

* Rotating reserve. Deal with it bitches, everyone else does. Top 25% exempt, Graduated system with bottom getting a block one month a year to opposite, blockholder having one month rsv a year etc.

* Two to three shifts of reserve a day, AM or PM. It should not be legal to have a person "on call" for 24 hours a day for six days straight.

* Guarantee of 80 hours. Our 73 is absolute industry bottom and inexcusable.

* More and longer OPR shifts. Something like 8 hour shift, pay for five- a day of flying. There should be OPRs at the airport for anything that comes up in under 4 hours. Half of OPR covergage is biddable as a "block" of OPR, the other half is staffed by scheduling, with it evenly distributed. OPR blocks would be four shifts a week, theres twenty hours a week plus additional for flying. That's eighty hours a month, which you are being paid anyway.

* Four hour call out. An hour and a half is incresingly infeasible in this day and age. OPRs are at the airport for longer periods of time to cover anything that comes up.

* Updated computer system. Ability to put parameters in computer for future trip awards rather than malarkey of calling sked and being put on hold. No more hiding in a stinky airplane lav on your cell phone trying to leave a list for tomorrow.

* More blocks to begin with. Away with the bid sheet. Those trips should be secondary blocks. US runs with MORE THAN TRIPLE the industry standard of reserve staffing to accomodate one group of F/As luxury.

* Less reserves, better utilization. I'm lazy as the day is long and much as I enjoy rolling out of bed and watching soaps, hello... why are you paying me for it? Not that I'm rich with a thousand dollars a month, but still, why pay someone 80 or even 73 hours if you are only going to use them for 50. Get your staffing model straight.

* ETB... this is tough... still not sure how I feel about that. Above guarantee is great, but really it should be towards credit. This way you can pick up time and time out early if you want to, and it's better utilization of reserve time ratio. For example Local Lanie flies 40 hours company time and 40 hours ETB time. She gets paid 123 hours despite only being used 40 of her 73. Commuter Connie flies 60 company time and no ETB but gets paid 73 The company just paid them both 73 or even more hours even though they really didn't get 73 hours of work out of either of them. If it were for credit, both would likely meet thier guarantee as Connie would get more time after Lanie times out. Of course, greedy Lanie can stil pick up on her off time if she pleases.

* ETB should also be system wide. If a LGA reserve wants to pick up a PHL transatlantic trip, why not, if a CLT reserve wants to pick up a day of Shuttle flying go for it. As long as they get there why restrict it by base.

* Reserve lines built better. Its pointless to go on duty for two or three days.

I'm sure I'll think of more as I drink my glass of wine and watch Dancing with the Stars. Great post idea Flight Chic interested to see other peeps ideas.

 

[beachboy]

OK lets just remember this is a game of Poker people. Lets not show our hand before its time if you get my drift?
And trusting Carol is like trusting your swimming right along side a Jellyfish and won't get stung.
Turn up the heat on AFA.

 

[donttouchthebeauty]

You got it. Care? Carol Austin never has picked up a piece of trash in 4 years off an aircraft so you think she cares about Reserves? Oh thats too much!!! Lets take first things first. Mike Flores and friends impliment changes to option 18 without a peep to us the memebers but then has the nerve to say "no one has complained"? Well ok ....we didn't know what you were up too! AFA takes direction from us the memebers of AFA not the other way around. And just try to bring up rotation reserve with AFA...they will flat out tell you it won't pass and get lost. Isn't that for us to decide? Oh I forgot, it's a dictatorship because we are too busy commuting or in our own little world to give a crap!

I would tell all those biznatches that i want a rotation system with a 4 hour call out - compare it to UAL they are AFA and that is what they have, ready reserve and call in reserve - on call in reserve you find out the day before what you are doing. Also - I would negotiate a 2 for 1 rest minimum 24 hour rest after intl., if over 8 hrs. etc... tell them to eat dirt and USAir isnt so senior anymore, with all the westies and the vote will start to sway....

 

[beachboy]

beauty- This whole process of changing the reserve system hinges on the USAir F/A group holding AFA locals to thier duties. Getting us a better and more livable contract. The first step will be hard for the LECs. It's called putting Carol back in a flight attendant uniform and back to her Rome block. (don't worry Carol, no cabin cleaning involved in those routes) And Mike Flores, I don't know what he flys but bye bye! Someone better pony up!

 

[beachboy]

EMB States: * ETB should also be system wide. If a LGA reserve wants to pick up a PHL transatlantic trip, why not, if a CLT reserve wants to pick up a day of Shuttle flying go for it. As long as they get there why restrict it by base.

I agree with you on 99% of these things but this? Not going to get my vote! They want to do Europe/Carribian ETB? Bid into PHL like the rest of us. You think I am based here for the sights and quality of living? Base trips are base trips like every other airline. Flew on AW and the PHX based crew could not wait to "ETB our Europe trips". I told her oh no my dear, PHL trips come with a price and it's called being based here.

 

[EMBFA]

EMB States: * ETB should also be system wide. If a LGA reserve wants to pick up a PHL transatlantic trip, why not, if a CLT reserve wants to pick up a day of Shuttle flying go for it. As long as they get there why restrict it by base.

I agree with you on 99% of these things but this? Not going to get my vote! They want to do Europe/Carribian ETB? Bid into PHL like the rest of us. Your think I am based here for the sights and quality of living? Base trips are base trips like every other airline. Flew on AW and the PHX based crew could not wait to "ETB our Europe trips". I told her of no my dear, PHL comes with a price and it's called being based here.

If it's on the ETB, it's up for grabs anyway, right? I see your point though. Interesting debate, just like whether or not it should be credit.

This was a huge debate at MDA. As a blockholder, you could pick up trips from any base. For example, if you lost your block in PIT you could transfer to DCA or PHL, drop your base trips and pick up available PIT trips. Some reserves felt it was unfair but in reality it was the same amount of "blockholder" trips being dropped, picked up and traded and didn't affect trip availability to reserves. Sort of a different situation but same argument about in-base and out-of-base. Since the MDA contract was based not on the US contract but on other airlines, obviously other airlines do allow this.

What does anyone else think? Come on reserves, speak up!

Would also like to hear more details from other carriers F/As. Not like theres anything going on on your boards.

OH one thing I do know!!! I don't believe in this getting bumped out of your UNDERSTAFFED base b.s... if your base is shrinking that sux and thats how displacements happen.... but why am I being bumped out of my home by a someone who doesn't want to be here, when they're short??? I do not understand it at all. If that's the case, sorry, I want to see every Westie bumped into LGA so our ladies can go to PHX. Why is that different?

*pours another glass of wine*

 

[IMisstheAladdinTrays]

If it's on the ETB, it's up for grabs anyway, right? I see your point though. Interesting debate, just like whether or not it should be credit.

This was a huge debate at MDA. As a blockholder, you could pick up trips from any base. For example, if you lost your block in PIT you could transfer to DCA or PHL, drop your base trips and pick up available PIT trips. Some reserves felt it was unfair but in reality it was the same amount of "blockholder" trips being dropped, picked up and traded and didn't affect trip availability to reserves. Sort of a different situation but same argument about in-base and out-of-base.

What does anyone else think? Come on reserves, speak up! *pours another glass of wine*

The bottom line, MORE Lines! No one should be on "Straight" Reserve for more than about 2 years!

 

[beachboy]

It is a good debate. Commuting into a base be it 1 hour or 6 hours is just silly. Those trips belong to that base. Now, if you want to go a preferential system where a certain base has a priority for a certain time MAYBE. That may fly but I doubt it. Let say Hawaii is open in PHX. I am a PHL based flight attendant...I see it first so I should be able to swoop in and take it? From another standpoint the Employee travel Center won't even log you in if I were the company I would say heck no. I can't depend on a LGA based f/A to get to PHX to do that trip and then get back for her trip or on duty days. Too much drama in my view. Leave trips in base. You want to do Hawaii then bid PHX. Europe bid PHL. Shuttle bid LGA/BOS. And this is like being a starving DOG waiting for a crumb to drop off the table at any base. Unless you have over 25 years sen ....forget it unless your lucky.

 

[EMBFA]

A preferential system would be good, after a certain amount of time it opens to other bases.

Speaking of preferential, we need preferntial bidding- for blockholders and reserves. You tell the computer what you want and it spits you back the closest your seniority can hold. Why in this day and age are we paging through big old phonebooks of trip pairings.

Oh and stand up against the outsourcing. There's our freakin blocks and base security right there. We need to make this dumb union work for our money each month they aren't doing anything for me not even anything from the LEC about our displacement!!!

*fourth glass of wine*

 

[2clippedwings]

Great ideas EMBFA and I'm on board with all of them.

In addition, make the company stop outsourced flying on mainline size planes. How quickly we forget the F-28, Bac 111, F-100, DC-9. Keep the flying in house. Plenty of flying to go around for the wholly-owneds.

I also think that Local leadership better remember that the reserves of today will be the blockholders of tomorrow with VERY long memories of who advocated for them.

 

[flybynite]

The biggest beef with the current reserve system is that no one has any senority after the first trip has been flown thus no quality of life. Or a paycheck.
Eliminate LTO. (who ever dreamed that up needs to roast in hell)

Put the International Transatalantic fence back up.
Reserves shouldn't be expected to be up since the crack of dawn waiting to get called out only to be ripped out of bed to fly London at 1:00 am. There should be separate reserve lines for transatlantic.

On and off call at 15:00.That worked well for years. And it allows those reserves who have been wasting away in a hotel room for days on end to catch an earlier flight home. Cut 'em loose.

Create more low time lines. 75 hr range. There is more than enough OT to make that possible.
And make ETB pay and credit. No need for a bid sheet or SAP.

 

[EMBFA]

Thats why my idea of shifts would be good- MDA people will remeber you bid R1, R2 etc.

International division is cheesy and a waste of money- its not going back up. Other airlines manage tons of service all over the world mixed with thier domestic flying. US is the smallest intl carrier and only goes to Europe with aircraft that are used in it's domestic service as well. Service is not anything complicated, comprable to what we used to do on a transcon. And we don't need to pay two non-interchangeable sets of reserves for the sake of 20 flights a day...

"Divisions" are what get us in trouble, because they are just that- divisions. Transatlantic division. MidAtlantic/Embraer division. Metrojet for the pilots... none of this should ever have been seperate. These divisions benefit a few people but hurt the majority. When you carve something out, you've given the company another 'entity" to negotiate with and whipsaw against each other.

I Totally agree about more lines, lower time. It's just common sense.

It seems like most people are on the same page... EXCEPT the union. Reserves need to get together, determine what they want, work with the westies and present it to the union. They are out for what affects them and thier blockholder friends and have no interest or knowlege of reserve issues.

 

[USCREW]

EMB States: * ETB should also be system wide. If a LGA reserve wants to pick up a PHL transatlantic trip, why not, if a CLT reserve wants to pick up a day of Shuttle flying go for it. As long as they get there why restrict it by base.

I agree with you on 99% of these things but this? Not going to get my vote! They want to do Europe/Carribian ETB? Bid into PHL like the rest of us. You think I am based here for the sights and quality of living? Base trips are base trips like every other airline. Flew on AW and the PHX based crew could not wait to "ETB our Europe trips". I told her oh no my dear, PHL trips come with a price and it's called being based here.

I think that the ETB should be system-wide since it is not company time. The West will not be able to fly Trans-Atlantic b/c they are not qualified on the 767 and the A330. Many East F/As based in DCA, LGA, and BOS are not qualified on the 767 and/or A330. The company will not train you unless you transfer in--remember CRAF and how many very senior mamas could not fly it due to lack of training? ETB should be treated like any other non-company credit time; make it system-wide.