notwhoyouthinkIam wrote: ↑Sat Sep 26, 2020 5:14 pm
I’m not sure why the mainline guys feel screwed. The agreement is quite simple.
There is a pilot transfer agreement that states that an Encore pilot can move up into mainline and that a mainline pilot can bump down into Encore if they are laid off at mainline.
At this point, we’re not being governed by the PTA, but instead the recall language that is in the Encore TA.
A mainline pilot who was laid off and did not bump into Encore are not Encore pilots and are not governed by the Encore TA.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love a single list with biddable positions across all of WestJet, but that is not what we have. Encorians were shown that mainline pilots overwhelmingly want to use Encore as a backup but don’t care for the (at the time of the vote) current Encore pilot.
I’m sorry, but we’ll all have our time to be recalled soon enough. Until then, I will keep looking for a second job so that I can afford rent and food.
Sure the pilots being recalled are governed by the Encore collective agreement, however the PTA should still allow a mainline pilot to then bump that encore pilot out of the spot if he/she chooses.
I have seen a copy of the grievance, the facts it points out are with the PTA a mainline pilot facing a furlough will have the right to bump into encore/swoop if his/her seniority will allow. At the time of reductions there was mainline pilots whose seniority did not allow for this, now with the recalls it does. There is nothing in the PTA in regards to it being a one time deal.
Both groups voted in this PTA, the encore pilots wanted it for the benefits it provided them, well this bump and flush aspect of the PTA is one of the few benefits the mainline pilots got for voting yes. The company offered it probably thinking they wouldn’t have significant layoffs in the near future or ever, that’s obviously not the case. Now because they would need to fork out the $ for initials on all those mainline pilots, they’re not honouring the PTA as it should be.
The company benefitted from the PTA(pilot retention/recruitment), the encore Pilots benefitted from the PTA, you can’t complain now because you don’t like the downside to the PTA. I wouldn’t worry if I was those recalled encore pilots though, let’s be honest the company is gonna to do what they do best, not give a rat ass about the pilots and let every little issue go to arbitration.