NWAFA

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text...0.1.4.19.16.10

cmdinnyc

Actually another poster made a good point in this thread. Last year at the end of September NW was proactively cancelling flights due to no crew.

Now combine that with the following factors:

a) fewer furloughed pilots than expected returned to active duty
b) all furloughed pilots must be offered an opportunity to return before new hires can be brought in and trained
c) pilots have a contract max of 90 hours / month, FAA max of 100 hours / month
d) summer brings more weather that can affect a larger percentage of the USA, including nearly daily afternoon / evening delays along the eastern seaboard that chews up the duty time of crew
e) summer brings a busier schedule
f) Regular attrition means some pilots will leave / retire, which has likely been aggravated by the well-documented mgmt/labor relations many of us are sick of seeing argued about on this board

I recall reading on Accuweather's website that mid-month there were phenomenal clusters of thunderstorms spanning a thousand mile area in the central US over a few days (wish I could find the post on this again, there was a specific name for the phenomenon). It's easy to imagine that, given the factors above, something like this would easily chew up any buffer in the maximum number of hours NW can fly in a month as the end of the month approaches. It wouldn't require a sick-out to start playing havoc with the schedule.

Woohoo! Four years, 800 posts.

motytrah

Facts as reported:

NW is flying 10% less flights with 30% less crew - MPR
Pilots are flying the contract which is 90 hours instead of 100, this is happening about 21st (third week of the month) - Star Tribune

Even if there is code speaking that means what? NW would be canceling 160 flights a today instead of 201? These are absurdly poor numbers any way you slice it. I might not be a math major but 30% less crew for 10% less flights doesn't compute.

mike_plat

Get together, fix your company together, and quit bothering your customers with this BS. Wait 'til you all see the huge pay cut you'll take if you drive your company into the ground. Your customers will very quickly recover. You will not.

DanTravels

Depends on how the scheduling and utilization are. If the "before" scenario had a lot of downtime between flights, during which the crew were sitting there with the clock running but not doing much (and not getting paid much except per diem), I'm sure everyone - even NWAFA - would be in favor of minimizing that time, and maximizing the time they actually spend flying and getting full pay.

Of course, if you go from a poorly-scheduled situation where the pilots are flying the FAA limit - say 5 days a week, 5 hours a day, spread out over 8 hours total time on the clock (for example) to a better-scheduled one where they're flying 5 hours a day but it's squeezed into 6 or 7 hours on the clock, maybe that makes the work feel more intense, and the additional stress makes them feel they need to cut back to the contract limit of 4.5 hours a day instead of 5 hours a day.

I'm not a math major either, but I've worked plenty of places where if I wanted some extra hours, they'd find work for me to do. I've never made anywhere near as much as pilots make, though - so I was never really in a position to cut my hours and pay by 10% like they're doing. Must be nice to be that flush.

sxf24

You must know something NW does not. The official party line is that the weather has contributed to crew shortages and company press releases are always the best source of information, right?

Refusing to meet contractual obligations is an illegal work action. Delaying flights for silly maintenance issues is a work slow down. I do not believe there have been systematic occurrences of either and hope the situation does not deteriorates to that childish and petty level.

How are pilots cutting their hours? They have at least 90 flight hours per month, which is more than the 80 under the old contract.

A person could independently decide to call in sick, but any organized effort to do some - whether union sanctioned or not - would be illegal. It would come back to bite the pilots in the butt big time, which they would deserve for such childish, illegal behavior.

Don't forget, the pilots all have limited sick days and can't use them to cancel thousands of flights over a several week period.

Jaimito Cartero

This "stick to the rules" campaign has been going on for awhile. I mean, how many times has our own NWAFA been quoting that line? NWA needs to be proactive with these problems, and start hiring more pilots whenever they can. How long before they can pass over the furloughed pilots who haven't returned?

Jaimito Cartero

I do. You've my faaaaaaaaavorite semi-disgruntled FA.

NWAFA

I don't think you take me to seriously.

Jaimito Cartero

Well, I may not agree with what you have to say, but I take you as seriously as I take anyone on FT. Since Queen of Sky has gone into the real estate biz, you've now replaced her as the FA that I follow the most.

Let me know if you start a goat blog.

DanTravels

Contract is 90, FAA limit is 100. If they've been working 100 and are now working 90 - which is what I believe has been stated above? - that's cutting their hours, and it's quite apparent they're not (collectively) being asked to do that, so I can't say it's NWA cutting their hours.

NWAFA

That's what I mean. You make fun of my plans after I leave NW. Having a goat farm may not be for you, but I find it very relaxing. What would people do without their Feta if there weren't anyone around to farm the goats?

shiner

The issue I have with this union/management fight is that each side assumes that the other is entirely responsible and they are only reacting. The FAs or pilots will do nothing more than is written in their contract. Why would management want to pay a dime more than they have to if this is how their employees act? Of course, the employees say that they are only doing the minimum because the management started chopping wages. Everyone seems to be implying that they other one started it. This is the kind of behavior we can expect from 4 year olds. Completely childish. I have little respect for either side.

If one of my employees started showing no initiative (because he felt I wasn't paying him appropriately), I would actually be LESS inclined to pay a dime more than I already am.

Of course, this would be easily resolved as I would eventually send him packing or he'd quit because I am a cheap SOB. Not so in the world of union labor I guess...

shiner

I honestly don't think he was making fun of you.

I happen to like Feta very much. I had some today.

Jaimito Cartero

I may try and get your goat, but it's certainly not to yank your chain.

I think many people reach a point in their life that they decide to move to a radically different career. Sometimes it's forced on them, other times, it's just the way a path leads. I'm quite thankful that early in my working career I was fired, which led me to a totally different path. Otherwise I'd have been stuck in a droll 9-5 job, perhaps even today.

As I've mentioned before, I milked my grandmothers goats when I was a child, so I have a special bond with them. Plus if they kick you, it's not as bad as a cow!

I do, however, wish that the rules campaign wasn't screwing my summer travel up so much. I've stuck with NWA through the pilots strike, the general depressing attitude during the BK, and was happy to have the FA's get a contract. I thought all the BS was behind us. Sigh.