The company says they want a new contract ASAP, but their actions indicate otherwise. We'd have a new contract right now if our pilot group were willing to sign a copy of the old CBA with a 2% raise for FOs. Fortunately that's not going to happen. The overall opinion from the line is that we won't have a contract until 11:59pm, the day before we are allowed to strike. That could be in 6 months, or years.

As a new-hire I would expect that the second we find ourselves properly staffed, you will be held as contract hostages (temporarily furloughed). It happened in 2003, they tried it again this fall, and the only reason we don't have involuntary furloughs now is because of attrition and the increase of flying we just got for DL.

Isn't Expressjet hiring?