100 xc pic thing has been resolved. CVG FSDO had a change of heart or something. Many were bypassing and some were out buying it in small Cessnas only to find out quite recently that they wasted their money.

Contract negotiations have been progressing faster than average I'd guess but there's no reason they couldn't continue indefinitely. It's up to the pilot group as a whole to accept what the boys have negotiated and vote the new rules in if deemed acceptable. Neg committee has been assigned a mediator after supposedly getting locked up on retirement or 401k benefits. They are supposedly lucky to have received this particular mediator. The neg committee seems to have been on top of their game for a number of years now. They say much emphasis is being placed on first officer pay and reserve rules improvements as a result of entire pilot group surveys.

How negotiations play out in general at any company is very dependent on what's going on in the industry, the economy, and any plans the mainlines who regionals serve may have for them.