Originally Posted by
padre2992
I think RA said in an LCA meeting that the American pilots would have been further ahead if they had taken 3%/year for the last five years. Instead they thought asking for 52% up front would net them something acceptable. Bankruptcy came before acceptable.
Our situation is different than the APA had, but don't forget that there is a time value to our money, and a value to whatever the "opportunity" is that is driving the company to negotiate. The possible returns of a contract in 5 years have to be weighed against whatever certain gains are presented today, and the contract 5 years from now will not have the value of today's "opportunity". The knock on that door will have gone unanswered, and the value lost. Essentially it is the old adages of "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.", and "opportunity only knocks once."
If the negotiators reach an agreement, consider the agreement in the context of your needs, the industry, the economy, the political climate, the professed NMB attitude Linda Puchala outlined regarding obstinate pilot groups, and make a professional choice.
Personally, I think the attitude of a pilot group that leads to waiting 5 years for a contract displays a disconnect with reality. How can a professional group misjudge so gravely the difference between what is possible with what is desired, that it leads to 5 years of stagnation?
a: destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else
b: something given up or lost.
This is the definition of sacrifice. Something that many of us have been intimately familiar with even prior to September 15, 2005. We began voluntarily giving back and sacrificing to help Delta the year prior.
This fact makes this contract negotiation a completely different animal than a regularly scheduled section six. More goes into the calculus of making this decision than as you say the:
1. industry
2. economy
3. political climate
4. Linda Puchala and the NMB's attitude
Additionally, those that have made the sacrifice are intimately familiar with the time value of money. Over eight years and continuing of trying to rebuild our retirements, struggling to fund college savings, retiring debts, and simply making ends meet while being paid considerably less than we were prior to BK will weigh significantly in the calculus of peoples decisions on the next TA. They have lost the access to the time value and will now need more to try and catch up at least to a manageable level.
Finally consider that most of the other employee groups are very close to their pre BK pay rates or have exceeded them in some cases.
How close will this TA get us. How soon will it be here for consideration. All important factors as well. These facts need to be examined in your reality as well.
Oh, and by the way, welcome.... Padre. You know Tomahawk 58?