MM said there would be bumping... Did anyone bother to read the contract? That's the first thing I did when I got a furlough package at my last station. I became the expert as I read Article 9 front and back. Doesn't anyone remember pjirish and myself explaining how this all works after you folks got your packages?
Yes, your extensive travel to Bangkok or wherever disturbs me. You could have used your unemployment for what it is meant. We have several guys in our station that were furloughed - and on unemployment - that were called when we had positions open. They didn't use their unemployment on hookers in Thailand or whatever. You could have been here at our station by now. You could be purchasing goods and services and paying taxes. Some kids pull the wagon, other kids ride in the wagon.
CMH did not get CLT and other cities because they are east. In fact, several guys there that are former west got CLT. One former westie got ft at DFW.
In fairness to CHP, the issue of what the contract said and how it was to be interpretated was discussed at length in this forum, and I could comfortably suggest it was a gray area based upon the number of open positions in the system which would institute bumping. As it has been awhile so I do not recall the exact numbers, but there were something like 140 FT positions being furloughed and I think something around 70 open FT positions. One could make the argument that there are not enough open positions as the contract does NOT say that those open positions must be filled first. Of course, as we know now, that is how the contract was read. CHP (and I am told others) did what they should have done which was to ask questions of their union reps, and it would appear they did get bad advice. Personally, I told CHP to put-in for every station he would be remotely interested as a CYA. He was not interested in PHL and DCA which was a matter of preference, thus he received nothing. I feel as if was an East station being downsized then the other interpretation would have been the rule and there would have been bumping as if we had taken the Hot Tub Time Machine back to the golden age of disco.
Now back to my hypothesis in which some posters seem in an obvious attempt to obfuscate my salient points... the IAM (past and present) have an "understanding" with the Tempe Boys for which they share complimentary objectives and the West be damned. The East controlled IAM gets preferential treatment of their East brethren and the Company wants a smooth running ramp, and the West... sucks to be them!
Before I get the obligatory, "If-the-IAM-was-as-powerful-as-you-suggest-then-we-wouldn't-have-this-contract" comment, I would suggest that
past IAM leadership wanted this deal, thus my hypothesis still stands. Or before I get the bromide, "If-the-IAM-was-that-powerful-we-wouldn't-have-this-Attendance-Policy" post, I would ask why was West working under Work Brain while East was just signing their names to a sheet of paper and fudging the start times? It hardly seems fair to go back retroactively on West with the computerized clock while the East could avoid ever being late... but it is the West who are getting hammered so
c'est la vie and my hypothesis is still valid.
So here CMH gets the axe, and as if some serendipity of IAM and the Tempe Boys, full-time shifts in CLT like manna from Heaven grace onto the open bid lines for the high seniority Easties. No Filthadelphia or DCrap for you, but only the best for which the East brethren and management can muster in a mutual back scratching arrangement. To my West friends remember the adage, "If you don't know who is the patsy at the poker table, then it is you," because the game is rigged with the Easties in full command.
So Deals Jester.
