Originally Posted by
sailingfun
I would agree with what you are saying. Regardless of what people think the pot of money to pay pilots is somewhat finite. We could spend money on a stipend but the end results is less somewhere else in the contract.
If we are going to have a special interest carve out in the next contract so to speak here is where I think the money should go.
We should change the FO payscales so they go out to 15 years. The percentage of Captains pay should go up to 75 percent at the 15 year point. This would reflect the new realities of the industry and Delta and slower then the historical norm in career advancement. It also gives the company some incentive to grow the company. If they can keep all copilots under 12 years they reduce their crew costs.
That is managing expectations. There is NOT a finite amount of money given to pilots. That is the pie method, you get your slice, and that's it. No, an increase is the cost of doing business. Are you setting this up for an eventual letdown? The quickening pace if TAs probably is for a reason, like more consolidation, and knowing that is leverage. Keep the TAs coming, but then ask for WHAT WE DESERVE. If ALPA screws this up, the number 4000 will grow to 7000, and $38 million a year will go away from a group's coffers.