Devils advocate....

Why not sign an LOA for the new FO rates (company ask) in exchange for __________ (union ask)?

Surely someone on property has come to the realization that the NMB might not release you and the company might not give in to your every demand. I remember a lot of people claiming that a strike would occur by Christmas 2011.

I keep hearing "strike" and "jet blue rates", but no one is talking about the parking of aircraft and pay cuts at other FFD carriers.

I wish you luck with your negotiations, but i have to ask, will you still be patting yourself on the back for turning down a pay raise if/when you find yourself in the same spot this time next year? No sections TA'd, no closer to release (there is no correlation between time spent in mediation and release, some groups have been released very early like the spirit pilots while others have been in mediation for years like the AA FA's), eagle decimated (you saw they are closing the rock, right?), pinnacle pay cuts, $3.30+ a gallon fuel.....

Challenging times. I wonder if your E-Board and NC have allowed expectations to get so unrealistic for such a prolonged period of time that they have backed themselves (and the membership) into a corner.

You all appear to be waiting for the "perfect" deal. Unfortunately, those deals do not exist. Often, by the time this realization occurs, even an "ok" has already sailed away into the sunset.

The union's sole attempt at creating leverage where there is none is the "don't work here" campaign. This may dissuade the lateral move "regional to regional" guys but you will never convince a flight instructor to turn down the job.

Again, I would love for you guys to get JetBlue +1 tomorrow, but from the outside looking in it appears that you guys are exactly where you were back in October 2007. In other words, you have achieved nothing in almost five years.