I’m CA Juli Zabos. I am running for Vice Chairman in LAX, and I need your support.
Before coming to American Airlines in 1998, I was an aircraft commander on the C-5 at the New York Air National Guard, 137th AS from 1994-2003. I also worked for one year at Airborne Express, which means that I was briefly a Teamster. Most recently, I have been captain on the Airbus in LAX since 2017. My career with American Airlines has been more varied than most. I have been based in MIA, LGA, STL, DFW, and now LAX. I started my career as an engineer on the 727, then served as FO on the S80, A300, 777, 757/767, 737, 787 and now captain on the A320. Having served extensively on both narrow and widebody fleets, I have a strong kinship with both communities. I understand the frustrations our current contract presents to our domestic narrow body pilots. I also know about the widebody lifestyle and the challenges there.
As far as my union work is concerned, I served on the Critical Incident Response Program while I was based in DFW, and I am currently a Compass Project mentor, a role which I relish. Working with our new hires renews my faith in our profession, and I enjoy the zest our new hires bring to AA. I am also going to be working with the new C2C (Captain2Captain) program that’s being developed to mentor our many new captains coming online.
LATEST POST
Quality of Life. What is it? Who has it? I guarantee you, we do not.
The definition of Quality of Life (QOL) from the Encyclopedia Britannica is “the degree to which an individual is healthy, comfortable, and able to participate in and enjoy life events.”
United and our other peer airlines all enjoy a significantly better QOL than we do. Delta’s new CBA raises the bar even higher and is the new gold standard for how a CBA can help pilots elevate their QOL. Here are some of the ways Delta’s new CBA improves QOL provisions:
Minimum calendar day pays 2:30 (think long layover with no flying)
Improved sit time pay
No back-to back red-eye legs on a sequence
Maximum duty day 13:00 or less if FAR 117 is more restrictive
Any reassignment pays 150% premium for first day, 200% for any subsequent day
Any extension beyond the original footprint of the sequence pays 150% premium
Any extension that doesn’t allow a pilot to commute home will get that pilot positive space transportation home, plus a hotel at company expense
Long Call Reserve minimum callout 18:00 hours
There will be a trade board for reserves to trade their days off (think MBE)
Jetway trip trades allowed, usually for first/last leg
ALPA will have improved access to company database for PBS trip construction
Improved ratio of shorter (1/2/3 day) vs. longer (4 or 5 day) sequences
Improved maternity leave/family bonding leave/paid parental leave for births and adoptions
Improved vacation accrual: 5 weeks at 16 years service and improved vacation pay
Improved vacation week distribution: more weeks available during the most desired vacation windows, e.g. summer, Christmas, etc.
401k contribution increase to 18% by 2026
Retroactive pay for 01/01/2023 to date of signing making new pay rates effective to start of 2023
One time payment equal to 4% of Calendar Year (CY) 2020, plus 4% of CY 2021, plus 14% of CY 2022.
Improved LTD provisions, including 401k contributions, and a longer maximum time allowed on LTD before a pilot is no longer allowed to return to active work
Improved company provided life insurance (death benefit will be $1,186,000. AA basic death benefit is $70,000)
Improved company health insurance (pilot contribution for insurance premiums go from 22% to 18%)
Improved training pay (CQ pay increase to 5:00 per day starting 01/2024)
Improved relocation allowance
Company pays for uniform replacement
Premium pay for late night simulator sessions
Deadhead seat selection: seat will be reserved in the highest class of service where there is a seat available at the time of booking. If first is unavailable, the pilot will be put on the upgrade list AHEAD OF ALL OTHER UPGRADE REQUESTS, including revenue upgrades.
Delta already has far better sick time accrual than we do. They will now be able to call in sick without speaking to a scheduler.
This is just a quick summary of some of the QOL improvements achieved by our brethren at Delta.
Fellow AA pilots, keep in mind that many of these provisions also increase the income of Delta’s pilots. Don’t be distracted by the shiny objects Mr. Isom and his team are waving at you. Delta pay rates WITHOUT Delta QOL will not equal Delta compensation. AA management knows this, which is why they are trying to lure you away with promises of Delta pay and profit sharing.
There is only one way to achieve Delta’s QOL and pay provisions: empower your BOD, and trust them to direct the Negotiating Committee. AA is trying to pressure APA into a deal quickly. We don’t want a fast contract. We want a GREAT contract. I’ve got my eye on the ball. I will not vote to pass any TA for membership ratification that doesn’t get QOL right.
In Unity,
Juli
Why haven’t I done more volunteer work with APA? Well, I was kind of busy. I served in the United States Air Force and New York Air National Guard from 1991-2003. I was hired by American Airlines in 1998. If you do the math, you’ll see there was a 5 year overlap. One of those years, I was on active duty with my Guard Unit following the events of 9/11. In 2002 my oldest son was born, and managing two flying jobs with an infant at home became too much. The next 17 years, I raised my kids as a single mom during the post 9/11 and Great Recession environment. I’m not sorry to say that their needs came before any volunteer work for APA. Now, they’re pretty much grown and on their way, and I find myself with more free time. Hence, more volunteer work with APA. So no, I didn’t spend the last 25 years selfishly. I spent it serving my country and my family.
17 MARCH, 2023
We stand at the threshold of a new era for American Airlines’ pilots. Your representation on the BOD will help shape what that future looks like. Vote like your career depends on it!
Fellow LAX Pilots,
Robert Isom made a video. He has spoken to the media. Russ Moore is going to host meetings at various domiciles. Don’t be fooled! THIS IS NOT NEGOTIATING. Anyone can make endless promises of improved pay and compensation. Note that Mr. Isom spends more than half of the video talking about pay, including profit sharing. Keep in mind that even if we use the same profit sharing formula as Delta, we will get less money, as AA is historically significantly less profitable than United or Delta. And AA has an established past of deftly hiding profits especially in construction projects such as airport terminals and Skyview. In addition, he never mentioned retro pay or a signing bonus. Mr. Isom promises industry leading. But will it be?
Negotiating directly with pilots has a long history at AA. Doug Parker did it successfully with the mid-contract pay raise and “profit sharing”. This deal, since it included only pay and no improvements to other portions of our CBA, still gave AA a substantial labor cost advantage over our peer airlines. Making videos talking directly to our pilots and doing road shows is a way of managing pilot expectations and taking the temperature of our membership. An industry leading contract will only be negotiated one way: through our Negotiating Committee, who take their marching orders from the BOD, at the negotiating table. That is where real gains will be made. Support your union, support your negotiators, support your Board, and stay informed and involved with your Representatives.
To you, my fellow LAX pilots, I ask for your vote and support. It’s time to bring APA together. It’s time to support our Negotiating Committee. It’s time for leadership at APA who will listen to you, be responsive to you, who will bring consensus where it counts, and who will direct the course of negotiations to a successful conclusion.
In Unity, Juli
Your Quality of Life has been shattered. We have subpar vacation. Unacceptable Recovery Obligation rules. Infinite reassignments. One of the few tools to manage our schedules, TTOT, has been rendered almost entirely unusable due to company imposed lockdowns on trading trips, and that doesn’t even mention the new Real Time TTS, which seems to be an unmitigated disaster. Coverage dates selected seemingly at random by AA management. The list goes on and on. My biggest fear for the contract process is that AA is going to try and throw pay rates at us in the hopes that we will trade QOL for money. This is absolutely unacceptable. You must demand, and APA must insist, that our QOL issues be addressed before pay rates are even discussed. It doesn’t matter how much money you make, if your family doesn’t even recognize you any more when you finally make it home after a trip, or if you are too tired to enjoy your time at home. It’s not just about the money. Demand it. And make sure your Board knows it.
