United seeks injunction to end pilot sickout
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TravelDude
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So what are the pilots actually doing? Is it just the B737 fleet pilots, as they mentioned something in article something about planned fleet changes.
767jetz
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Every single summer United falls short of pilot manpower during summer and at year's end.
Every single year ALPA warns United that they are understaffed and will be unable to fulfill their planned schedule.
Every single year the company ignores us and claims there is not a manpower shortage.
Every single year the company blames the pilots for their inability to run an airline.
The bottom line is that the "overtime" they are referring to is called Junior/Senior Manning. This is the process where crew scheduling starts from a list with the most junior pilot and calls to ask if they would fly a trip that is not covered on their day off. If the pilot says no they move up the list to the next person. If no one is found to fly the trip ON THEIR DAY OFF, the company starts calling again from the senior person down. But this time a financial incentive is offered, usually amounting to an extra 5 hours of pay, or to release the pilot from a future trip with full pay for that. (Which only creates another manpower shortage in the future, robbing Peter to pay Paul.)
This process was agreed to by the union years ago as a way to give the company some fexibility in the event of UNUSUAL circumstances like a major snow storm that effects a hub, or some other big weather event. It was NEVER intended as a scheduling tool to allow the company to run the airline in an understaffed condition. But that is exactly what the company has turned it into. Junior/Senior Manning has become the norm for them.
Now take a pilot, whose schedule is already close to maxed out, with minimum days off and maximum time away from his family, flying inefficient trips, with varying circadian rhythms, who gets no respect from his management, and no help from the crew desk when he needs to adjust his schedule for a family event, bidding a schedule he has no control over because the company refuses to fix a trip trading system that doesn't work. Is there any wonder why this pilot gets fatigued and sick more often, and then decides not to "help" the company by flying overtime???????????
The company has even gone so far as to now REQUIRE a doctor's note for ANY absence in certain fleets where they admit to being manpower critical. Let's be clear... according to the FAA there are a multitude of reasons a pilot could be unfit to fly that would not require a trip to the doctor. When you have a sinus headache do you run to the doctor or take a couple of Tylenol Sinus and take it easy for a day. To a pilot, ANY upper respiratory issue can lead to a sinus block that can cause debilitating pain or even rupture an ear drum in a rapid decompression. (It happens... look at Quatas last week.) Do YOU want your pilot incapacitated because he ignored a simple headache because some company idiot threatened him and said he needs a doctor's note?
The only thing ALPA has done is clearly and repetitively reminded every pilot what their contractual rights are with respect to Junior /Senior Manning, and what their FAA mandated responsibilities are with regard to any illness that affects a pilots ability to safely perform his duties.
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Here is a quote from the ALPA MEC Chairman:
“ALPA cannot comment on the pending litigation at this time until our attorneys have had the opportunity to review it,†said United Master Executive Council Chairman Captain Steve Wallach. “A UAL press release issued today, however, concerning the lawsuit contained inaccurate and alarmingly misleading information. The United MEC believes this is not a constructive approach to labor relations.â€
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This is just one more in a long list of management failures that they are trying to blame on someone else.
Every single year ALPA warns United that they are understaffed and will be unable to fulfill their planned schedule.
Every single year the company ignores us and claims there is not a manpower shortage.
Every single year the company blames the pilots for their inability to run an airline.
The bottom line is that the "overtime" they are referring to is called Junior/Senior Manning. This is the process where crew scheduling starts from a list with the most junior pilot and calls to ask if they would fly a trip that is not covered on their day off. If the pilot says no they move up the list to the next person. If no one is found to fly the trip ON THEIR DAY OFF, the company starts calling again from the senior person down. But this time a financial incentive is offered, usually amounting to an extra 5 hours of pay, or to release the pilot from a future trip with full pay for that. (Which only creates another manpower shortage in the future, robbing Peter to pay Paul.)
This process was agreed to by the union years ago as a way to give the company some fexibility in the event of UNUSUAL circumstances like a major snow storm that effects a hub, or some other big weather event. It was NEVER intended as a scheduling tool to allow the company to run the airline in an understaffed condition. But that is exactly what the company has turned it into. Junior/Senior Manning has become the norm for them.
Now take a pilot, whose schedule is already close to maxed out, with minimum days off and maximum time away from his family, flying inefficient trips, with varying circadian rhythms, who gets no respect from his management, and no help from the crew desk when he needs to adjust his schedule for a family event, bidding a schedule he has no control over because the company refuses to fix a trip trading system that doesn't work. Is there any wonder why this pilot gets fatigued and sick more often, and then decides not to "help" the company by flying overtime???????????
The company has even gone so far as to now REQUIRE a doctor's note for ANY absence in certain fleets where they admit to being manpower critical. Let's be clear... according to the FAA there are a multitude of reasons a pilot could be unfit to fly that would not require a trip to the doctor. When you have a sinus headache do you run to the doctor or take a couple of Tylenol Sinus and take it easy for a day. To a pilot, ANY upper respiratory issue can lead to a sinus block that can cause debilitating pain or even rupture an ear drum in a rapid decompression. (It happens... look at Quatas last week.) Do YOU want your pilot incapacitated because he ignored a simple headache because some company idiot threatened him and said he needs a doctor's note?
The only thing ALPA has done is clearly and repetitively reminded every pilot what their contractual rights are with respect to Junior /Senior Manning, and what their FAA mandated responsibilities are with regard to any illness that affects a pilots ability to safely perform his duties.
------------------------------------
Here is a quote from the ALPA MEC Chairman:
“ALPA cannot comment on the pending litigation at this time until our attorneys have had the opportunity to review it,†said United Master Executive Council Chairman Captain Steve Wallach. “A UAL press release issued today, however, concerning the lawsuit contained inaccurate and alarmingly misleading information. The United MEC believes this is not a constructive approach to labor relations.â€
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This is just one more in a long list of management failures that they are trying to blame on someone else.
posting Jetz, a superb accurate explanation of whats going on here at United, thanks for taking the time to post.
U
