In this episode of our podcast, we talk with Captain Ben Douglas, Retirement & Insurance Committee Chairman, who discusses his background, the pilot volunteers and ALPA staff on his committee, Retirement Seminars, recent changes to our pharmacy benefit, annual benefit enrollment dates, and the Pilot Retirement Savings Plan (PRSP).
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In this episode of our podcast, we talk with Captain Chris Wood, Grievance Committee Chairman, who discusses the grievance process and various other topics related to his committee.
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In this episode of our podcast we talk with Captain Pat May, Negotiating Committee Chairman and discuss his background at FedEx and with ALPA. He also provides a brief introduction to the members of this important committee.
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In this episode of our podcast, we discuss various topics with MEC Vice Chairman Captain Dave Chase
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In this episode of our podcast, we discuss various topics with MEC Chairman, Captain Pete Harmon and MEC Secretary/Treasurer, First Officer Don Loepke.
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In this episode of our podcast we continue our conversation with Negotiating Committee Chairman Captain Pat May as he discusses negotiations related to Ongoing Implementation Measures (OIM), Training Activity Display (TAD) and Training Support (TSUP).
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Communications Committee Chairman Captain Chris Lee speaks with Negotiating Committee Chairman Captain Pat May for an update on the ongoing Retirement project in the first episode of the FDX ALPA Podcast series Fly By Night.
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Pilot Data Report (PDR)
We understand the importance of open communication between you and your union and we are always working to advance the way we interact with our members. We are excited to tell you about a new addition to our Quality of Life Initiative, an online tool called Pilot Data Report (PDR). The PDR is a web-based system accessible from your desktop, smartphone or tablet with identifying information, drop-down menu categories, a comment box and a place to attach supporting documents. Once logged in, the system will populate much of your information such as name, employee number, seat position and aircraft. When you make your selection in the drop-down menu, the system will send your report to the appropriate committee or resource within the union for action.
It is our hope that the PDR will become a useful and convenient place for you to communicate with your union on a variety of topics. Should you experience any problems on the line or simply just want to communicate with us, click anywhere you see the PDR logo to access the system and fill out a report. You can also find the PDR here and bookmark the web address.
As we get more and more reports from you, the PDR will allow us to track problem areas and trends that are occurring or reoccurring. This is just one more tool in the toolbox to enhance our working quality of life while enhancing our communications.
Our goal is to always find better ways to hear from you. While this new system has been tested extensively prior to its launch, we will continue to make any tweaks necessary to improve this process.
Please keep in mind, the user experience will improve with higher participation rates, so please utilize the PDR system. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
In a recent Quality of Life communication we briefly touched on the secondary line system and we would now like to expand on this topic.
In an effort to clear up a misconception that some pilots seem to have, the current secondary line system fiasco many of you are now experiencing belongs to the Company. Due to the current chaos surrounding the “upgrade” and its results, one could well imagine the Company would like our pilots to believe otherwise.
We were only allowed to beta test the system for the Company and provide input. During that testing we discovered and relayed to the Company that the system was fraught with programming issues. We felt it was imperative that the Company provide pilots with, at a minimum, a clear user guide to include a list of definitions. After it was turned on for the HKG, LAX and IND bases, we recommended that any outstanding issues be worked out before the system was rolled out to additional bases. Our recommendation was discounted and the rollout continued. The upgrade was simply not ready for systemwide implementation.
Obviously, the Company felt otherwise.
Although the Company may not be violating any CBA provisions, it has certainly not garnered the enthusiasm they wanted and needed. It is simply not ready. As pilots, we like to know the rules, but how can we know those rules when the Company refuses to provide any guidance or take any ownership? This product and the lack of a helpful user guide would never pass muster or quality control if FedEx was offering it to its clients and consumers. We ought to expect the same ‘professional’ treatment as our quality of life depends greatly on the schedules that come from systems such as this.
In the absence of a user guide from the Company, we are providing you with the attached Guerrilla Guide to the Secondary Line System. As we move into Peak, this is our attempt to provide you with some helpful guidance as to how we understand some features of the current upgrade. We are doing it to fill an obvious void created by the Company. Hopefully, in the future, the Company will stop ignoring the chaos this upgrade has created and at least provide all of us, at a minimum, a detailed and in-depth Company user guide for its own upgrade. We are standing by.
As part of our Quality of Life Initiative, we would like to highlight a couple of benefits that we believe you should consider during this open enrollment period. Please note, the annual open enrollment period for FedEx benefits opened on October 18, 2018, and runs through November 1, 2018.
FDX MEC Long-Term Disability: Special Enrollment Period, November 1-December 31, 2018
We have negotiated a substantial reduction in premium costs, which complements and greatly enhances the total long-term disability (LTD) package offered by the corporation and the union. This plan provides 17 percent of pre-disability income, and that benefit is not subject to federal income tax or most state income tax as well. During the special enrollment period, Evidence of Insurability (EOI) is NOT REQUIRED with proof of an approved FAA physical.
ALPA Critical Illness & Accident Insurance: Year-Round Enrollment Begins November 1, 2018
Critical Illness and Accident Insurance are two separate plans that provide a cash benefit payout that when used with the wellness benefit, can reduce your payments to little or nothing. For example, if you are married with two children, elect Accident Insurance, and obtain the max wellness credit (by submitting an annual wellness exam for you and each covered dependent), your monthly premium would be $5.24 a month.
Yes, we know this sounds too good to be true but please reach out to the R&I Committee (901-752-8749 or FedEx-R&IChair@alpa.org) for further details.
There are multiple covered accidents that qualify for benefits under this plan. For example, if you have an emergency room visit, the plan will pay you $300. If a covered participant fractures their leg, the cash payout would be between $2,500 and $5,000.
A s you can see, we believe these benefits will greatly enhance your quality of life. For more information, please see this recent communication, which provides more detail, or call the FedEx ALPA office at 901-752-8749 and ask to speak with a benefits specialist.
You hear us say this all the time, “no data, no problem.” The Company has created a system where we have to fill out time-consuming reports and forms to validate what we know to be a problem.
Is there any doubt when ground transportation does not show up on time or does not show up at all? Is there any doubt when a pairing has unrealistic times associated with it, either the leg itself or the turn? What about trips that were diverted, revised, or a million other things the Company altered that caused a problem?
But yet, we still have to fill out a report to prove there was a problem. Remember, “no data, no problem.”
The Company has built a system of reports and forms so that we can let them know when there is a problem. Yet, time and time again after we do, nothing gets changed. We often hear from pilots that a report was filled out, but they never heard anything back or received any feedback.
Why do these reports and forms have to be excessively difficult to complete? Why do they have to be confusing and inconvenient? This picture comes to mind for some when filling out Company reports.
Company reports are the equivalent to a retail store’s rebate system. Why do stores provide rebates instead of just putting an item on sale? If we are purchasing a $1,000 pool table and the store has a rebate for $200, why doesn’t the store just sell the pool table for $800 in the first place?
Here’s why. Up to 60% of all rebates are never redeemed. These businesses know that only a certain percentage of people are going to take the time to go through what is typically an inconvenient, sometimes complicated, time-consuming task required to accomplish the rebate process. The result is the store is able to keep their price point for the pool table high (it remains a $1,000 product) and only refund those customers who successfully completed the rebate procedure.
Let’s compare this to filling out a Company report. Frankly, the Company knows that a certain number of pilots are just not going to take the time to fill out these reports. Let’s say that eliminates 60% of the pilots. That leaves 40% who might actually take the time to fill out the report. The pilot actually tries to go to PFC to fill out the Company report and experiences a technical issue; the PFC website is down, you can’t get a computer to work in AOC or you attempt to fill out the report multiple times only to get kicked out of the system each time. How often have those failures happened lately? Well, that just eliminates more pilots; let’s say another 10%. Now out of the 30% of pilots who are left, some realize the reports are too complicated or time consuming and 10% more give up. You can see that now there are only a small percentage of pilots left who are actually successful in filling out these reports to notify the Company of a problem.
As a result, the Company can make claims like we don’t have any Insite reports or only 20% of pilots have this or that issue. Then they can also make claims that they have industry-leading programs that might not be so industry leading.
Again, “no data, no problem.”
Please don’t let these complications we write about above deter or stop you from filling out these reports as these are the games we have to play to try and improve our quality of life. When you are successful, we ask that you send us a copy.
Send copies or screenshots to:
Insite@alpa.org
FatigueReport@alpa.org
Have you flown economy class lately on a deadhead that exceeded 5 scheduled block hours? How about on a deadhead with 10 or more scheduled block hours?
Have you noticed that when a higher class of service is authorized for your trip the Company delays and purchases your ticket much later, which oftentimes causes you to be waitlisted for the higher-class ticket?
These are more examples of the games the Company plays with our quality of life. Efficiency gains for the Company always trump a pilot’s quality of life.
Due to Company shenanigans when booking our deadhead tickets, we are forced to spend a lot of our time—time for which we are not paid—searching for the correct class of service. All it would take is for the Company to do the right thing and book our deadheads early and at the correct class of service before the only available seats left to book are economy class. When a higher class of service is contractually mandated, the Company should simply purchase your deadhead tickets without delay.
Additionally, there would be no reason to waitlist us if the Company did not wait to list us in the first place.
Have you ever asked the Company why our deadheads are sometimes in economy instead of a higher class of service in accordance with the CBA? And then received the following response: “We do not chase class of service.”
This article poses many questions, but the biggest question we would like to ask you is this: Do you think the Company chases class of service downward to economy when booking our deadheads?
So do we.
On September 14, 2013, the Company wrote an article in their On The Radar series titled “PIBS Might Sound Good in Theory, but . . .”
In that article, the Company wrote:
“This leads us to one of the last remaining rationales for refusing to even consider PIBS at FedEx: a perceived lack of trust.”
They also wrote:
“We are not asking for your blind trust when it comes to PIBS; we never would.”
Currently, one of the top complaints we receive from pilots is the elimination of reserve lines in the bidpacks across all fleets. Pilots who until recently were able to hold reserve lines are now being forced into the secondary line system. The secondary line system is an opportunity for the Company to show us how good PBS could be only if we would embrace it.
The Company appears to be playing fast and loose with concepts like known reserve days. There appears to be competing factions within the Company where one group is eliminating reserve lines in order to increase their reserve utilization numbers, and another group is interpreting known reserve in a way that also decreases reserve lines in the bidpack and again forces pilots into the secondary system.
Even though we are a few years away from Contract 2021, it is very important to remember that the same Company that wants you to trust them for PBS is the same Company that has now eliminated many of your reserve lines and made the new secondary line system a failure for many.
And now for a final quote from the Company:
“The Company has been clear that is has no intention of unilaterally imposing a set of parameters resulting in the kind of significant dissatisfaction described . . . or any other set of parameters for that matter.”
So, if you are one of the many pilots who used to hold a reserve line but now can’t because of the Company’s unilateral decision to wipe out your reserve lines, trust us, we just want you to know that we hear your significant dissatisfaction!
Please watch for continued communications regarding issues that impact our Quality of Life.
On a recent trip, the Company published a pairing with a revenue leg, followed by a deadhead at the end. The pairing was scheduled with a duty time of 13 hours and 55 minutes. The scheduled Day duty limit is 13:00 (Section 12.C.4.a.). However, Section 12.C.4.g.ii, Deadhead Following Revenue Flight, states “If the duty period began in the day or night period, the entire duty period may be scheduled up to 2 hours beyond the scheduled limitations in Section 12.C.4.a. or b., in order to accomplish the deadhead.” This results in a scheduled limit of 15:00 hours for Day duty and 13:30 for Night duty.
Section 12.C.4.i. states “If a pilot is scheduled to deadhead to base after revenue flying, and his duty period exceeds 10 hours, he may obtain a hotel room at Company expense, in order to take a later flight, as provided in Section 5.B.1.f.”
Section 5.B.1.f. states “at the conclusion of the revenue portion of a trip, at the pilot’s election, when the final duty period of that trip exceeds 10 hours and the pilot is scheduled to deadhead by air to his base as the concluding segment of the trip.
i. The room shall be located in the city in which the revenue portion of the trip terminates and the deadhead is scheduled to originate.
ii. The pilot is responsible for maintaining his eligibility and legality for a subsequent assignment.
iii. Unless operational circumstances preclude it, CRS shall assist the pilot in making his reservation at the contract hotel, or, if unavailable, at another comparable hotel in the same city.
iv. Deviation from scheduled deadhead procedures as referenced in Section 8.C.1.h. (End of Trip Deviation) shall be followed.”
Therefore, if the final duty period exceeds 10 hours, and you comply with Section 5.B.1.f. then you can get a hotel room. However, no adjustment will be made to your pairing as this is a deviation. Contact CRS and cite the applicable CBA language, and if necessary, contact the Duty Officer. In this crew’s case they did everything right. They contacted CRS and the Hotel desk for assistance with their requests and had the information placed on the trip pairing. Additionally, they filled out Fatigue and Insite Reports and passed their information to FDX ALPA via the SIG and Fatigue Committees.
If you have any contractual concerns, please contact FDX ALPA Contract Enforcement at Fedex-Enforcement@alpa.org.
How Can a Pilot Receive a No Show for a trip despite being unaware that it was assigned to him?
When a pilot submits a bid line adjustment for general make-up, the pilot is responsible for any make-up assignment that complies with his submission (25.L.6.b.v.). CRS shall notify a pilot via VIPS that the submission has been accepted or denied (25.L.1.a.). If the notification is not closed out by the pilot, CRS may attempt to notify via a telephone call. Removal from the trip as a No Show is the likely result if the pilot cannot be contacted. We encourage you to check your crew notifications and remember to withdraw a submission for general make-up when you are no longer available. If you have any questions, please contact FedEx-Enforcement@alpa.org.
Did you know a pilot who declines substitution (SUB) before the showtime of the original trip (i.e., the trip or series of trips that actually created the SUB eligibility) can make up the credit hours at 125% of the pilot’s normal pay rate? This is making an election for open time priority or for short, OTP (Sec. 25.H.11.). A pilot in OTP is pay protected for the trip guarantee of the original trip for the remainder of the bid period in which the trip began plus three additional bid periods, a full bid period increase from the 2011 Agreement. The trip guarantee for the original trip is deducted from the first paycheck after the pay protection ends (Sec. 4.N.1.). The ideal result is the pilot takes advantage of OTP and makes up the credit hours before the pay protection ends. Sometimes life gets in the way and we cannot obtain the ideal result, but don’t worry. The credit hours not made up before OTP expires are available for general make-up (Sec. 25.L.4.).
Please contact FedEx-Enforcement@alpa.org if you have any questions or concerns regarding the CBA.
Trip Extensions
A quality of life enhancement in the 2015 CBA is Section 12.A.8., which reduces trip extensions by 12 hours compared to the previous language. Domestic trips can be extended 36 hours and international trips 84 hours into time previously scheduled free from duty at base. Please note that the 36/84 limit may be exceeded due to maintenance or weather disruptions particular to the pilot’s specific flight, but only to that limited extent.
Critical Period Pay
One of many pay enhancements in the current CBA are the Critical Period Pay Events (Section 4.GG.). This language applies to all domestic trips, regardless of the assignment code. Also, it is paid in addition to other compensation. There are four situations that qualify for the Critical Period Pay.
Please contact Fedex-Enforcement@alpa.org if you have any CBA questions.
Please note that Section 25.C.12.f. (trip or R-day block conflict with recurrent training), and 25.E.4.b.i.(a)(1) – (4) (secondary line holder designation of number of vacation days) have not been implemented. To view the Implementation Schedule posted on the FedEx MEC home page, please click here.
A pilot’s current bid period schedule, including carryover, takes precedence over a subsequent bid period schedule. Any trip that conflicts with carryover (including a previously removed carryover trip) will be dropped as CIC (Carry-in Conflict) and is eligible for make-up. If your new trip is greater than 120 hours TABF, you may request to keep this trip on your line if the carryover trip is less than 72 hours TAFB or 3-day block (Sec. 25.F.3.a.).
When bidding vacation with carryover, remember that carryover conflicts will cause the trip in the new bid period to drop out before the vacation period is considered. This means that if you bid a long trip in your next month’s vacation week, and if this trip is also in conflict with carryover, the trip in the new bid period will be dropped for the conflict before it is dropped for vacation.
Vacation days are considered work days for minimum days off protection.
Please contact fedex-enforcement@alpa.org if you have any CBA questions.
Section 8.C.3.a.vi. provides additional flexibility in deviation travel. If your deadhead ticket has been booked in economy class and you are scheduled for less than 16 hours of duty but more than 10 hours of scheduled block, you may deviate to obtain a higher class of service on another carrier.
Under these circumstances, your Deviation Bank shall be credited with 130% of the Established Fare on the scheduled deadhead route, and your deviation travel is not required to match the scheduled routing. Please keep this in mind as an option for deviating and contact ContractEnforcement (FedEx-Enforcement@alpa.org) with any questions regarding this provision or Section 8 of the CBA.
If a management pilot bumps a line pilot from his scheduled trip or a portion thereof, the line pilot shall receive the scheduled credit hours and deviation credit, if any, for the trip or portion thereof. Consequently, duty should not be added in place of the bumped trip or portion thereof. (Section 9.A.2.)
Whether continental or intercontinental, a pilot who deviates from deadhead travel at the beginning
of a trip may check in at the contract hotel a maximum of 2 days early. (Section 8.C.3.d.iii.) The
umber of days was increased with the 2015 CBA. This hotel use is a deviation expense and is
charged to your bid period deviation bank.
Please contact Fedex-Enforcement@alpa.org if you have any contract concerns.
Did you know a reassignment trip (RAT) is triggered if the assigned/awarded trip is revised to:
Once offered a RAT, the pilot can request 30 minutes from CRS to decide to accept or decline the offer. The 30 minutes may be granted if time allows. If the showtime is within 1:30 hours, the pilot must accept or reject the offer upon notification. (1999 CBA Appendix C, Reassignment Trip Offer)
For a Substitution Decision Tree involving RAT, click here.
Please contact fedex-enforcement@alpa.org if you have any contract concerns.
Section 25.C.10. (Bidding during Consolidation) was added in the bargaining of the 2015 CBA. There are bidding limitations which apply if you are:
Example: Pilot activates in his new crew position at the beginning of the May bid period. The pilot fully participates in bidding for a line for the June bid period and receives a Regular, Secondary, or Reserve line for June. If the pilot is not on track for consolidation at the close of bidding for a July schedule, he or she will be subject to the bidding limitations discussed below.
The applicable bid restrictions are as follows:
Please contact fedex-enforcement@alpa.org if you have any contract concerns.
Do you know the timeframe for filing a grievance? (20.B. – Filing of Grievance)
Please contact Contract Enforcement within the timeframe to file a grievance in order to preserve time limits as well as investigate the facts. Oftentimes a resolution is reached without the filing of a grievance.
This communication concerns the subject of pilots being payroll deducted due to missing, incorrect or late expense report receipts. Section 5.A.7. of the Agreement provides that “An expense report shall be submitted within one bid period to document expenses incurred during the preceding bid period.” Likewise, Section 8.C.5. provides, “Any time an expense is charged to a Company-issued Travel Card, a deviation ticket is purchased, or a deviation expense is incurred, an expense form shall be submitted, with appropriate original receipts (or electronic reproduction thereof)”, and “Such expense form shall be submitted no later than the end of the subsequent bid period.” The Agreement does not contain language to reopen an expense report once it is closed. We encourage all pilots to review and promptly act upon notifications concerning expense report receipts. Below are descriptions of the notifications you will receive if you have not submitted an expense report or if your credit card/ticket expenses have not been classified. Please note that the second notification is essentially the last notification upon which to act as the final notification is a notice of payroll deduction.
PLEASE NOTE, even if you have submitted an expense report, if you still have an outstanding receipt(s) you will receive a notification regarding the missing receipt(s) and a deadline to submit the missing item(s) to avoid payroll deduction.
Even if you think you have submitted your receipt(s) and believe that you are receiving notifications in error, please resolve the matter with Crew Audit prior to the deadline for submitting missing items.
Please contact fedex-enforcement@alpa.org if you have any CBA questions.
Are you wondering if you keep the deviation bank associated with the removed trip? That depends on why the trip was removed. Listed below are some of the common reasons a trip may be removed from your schedule and whether or not bank monies would remain intact:
A trip is canceled by the Company
Yes, deadhead bank monies remain intact (Section 8.C.2.d).
A trip is revised
Yes. This also falls under Section 8.C.2.d. A comparison is done for the value of the deviation bank at award/assignment versus the value at block-out/actual operation. You are entitled to the higher value.
A trip is removed and you become eligible for Substitution (SUB) assignments
Yes, the Company has changed or revised a trip causing you to become eligible for SUB; the deviation bank monies will remain intact (Section 8.C.2.d). In fact, you’ll keep the bank for the original trip in addition to the bank associated with SUB assignments.
A trip is dropped
No, you won’t keep the bank because the removal of the trip was not due to a change or cancellation by the Company (Section 8.C.2.d).
A trip is Per Diem Only (PDO) bumped
No, if you are bumped you will not keep the bank. The pilot operating the trip earns the deviation credit for the trip (Section 25.L.11.b.iv).
A trip is removed due to calling in sick
If you call in sick prior to a trip, you do not retain the deviation bank. However, if you become ill or are injured during a trip, the Company is required to provide transportation back to your base or residence. Travel costs in this scenario are limited to the cost of returning to base (Section 14.B.4). You will also keep the bank for deadheads operated prior to calling sick on that trip.
A trip is bumped for training
Yes, if bumped from an entire trip, the deadhead monies remain intact (Section 25.U.2).
A trip is bumped by management
Yes, if a management pilot bumps a line pilot from their scheduled trip, the line pilot receives the deviation credit for the trip or portion of the trip removed (Section 9.A.2).
A trip is removed operationally for legality (1-in-7, international buffer, etc)
Yes, you will keep the deviation bank credit for the removed trip (Section 8.C.2.d).
For less common trip removals, retaining deviation bank credits may be dependent on the circumstances and timing of the situation (emergency drop, bereavement, etc).
Please remember that all deadhead travel is classified into two categories, Front/Back-End, and Mid-Trip. For the purpose of deviation bank credit, each category is treated separately.
If you have questions, please contact Contract Enforcement at fedex-enforcement@alpa.org.
1. Section 4.U. of the 2015 CBA includes an added provision which provides 1 CH of pay for aircraft ground operations performed for a purpose other than flight during a trip or base standby. For example, if during a trip you complete an engine run-up to facilitate maintenance of an aircraft, you may be eligible for an additional 1 CH of pay. If you think you are due the additional compensation, please submit a pay log.
Contract Enforcement recently became aware that pilots may have been denied critical period pay under 4.GG.3. if the applicable landing was an air turn back. This is an improper denial; however, this pay is not automated and requires the submission of an Insite ticket (paylog).
With the implementation of new portions of the contract for Secondary Line Holders, we wanted to send a bidding reminder out to help best guide you through the bidding process.
Vacation:
Training:
It is our understanding that in June and July some pilots (fewer than 100) had Lufthansa (LH) flights incorrectly purchased as non-refundable due to an incorrect code entered by LH. Global Travel cancelled all non-refundable tickets that had not been used and re-issued them as fully refundable. If a LH ticket had already been used, Crew Audit may have disallowed the ticket on your expense reports prior to being aware of the issue. If you had a LH ticket purchased in June or July on your expense report and it was denied due to it being a non-refundable ticket, file a discrepancy and the issue will be reviewed and corrected.
Did you know that an FDA pilot is eligible for a return household goods shipment during the “FDA Transition Window” and only during that window? Paragraph C.2.h.ii. of the FDA LOA provides an FDA pilot a return household goods shipment during the pilot’s FDA Transition Window. Paragraph C.2.f.i.(b) defines the FDA Transition Window as “the period beginning 6 months prior to his activation into his post-FDA crew position and ending upon either his activation in his new crew position or 60 days after termination of his employment, whichever is earlier.” As you can see, the FDA Transition Window ends upon activation into the post-FDA crew position, which in turn ends an FDA pilot’s eligibility for FDA benefits. Of course, you should know that all associated benefits (i.e., housing allowance, return household goods shipment, de-positioning airline tickets, paid relocation days off, hotel use during exit transition, and transition allowance) are affected by the FDA Transition Window. The Agreement/FDA LOA does not provide any exceptions to the requirement of relocating prior to activation into the post-FDA crew position.