Originally Posted by
Jack Bauer
I appreciate your zeal. I disagree with your assessment of this contract on many levels. We will have to agree to disagree. If thing go sideways I expect you to come on here and admit you were wrong.
If the proposal passes and it turns into hiring, movement, reserves who still have a life/health, etc then I will do the same. I have been through several contracts in my time and this one smells like a stinker based upon what could happen....and when management can exploit they usually do. Jumping at this lowers the bar for what we can get in the future and will let management know how weak the resolve of this pilot group really is. This is my opinion. Time will tell how this all plays out.
Everyone has a vote, and I give my opinion. I hope I'm not wrong, and I hope we all do well and expansion happens. I have no doubt that management wants this done, but I think there are other reasons other than "screwing the pilots". I don't think they would just give us free money, but I think this TA will give them flexibility to do other things, which may benefit us. I think the Caps on the RJ numbers are acceptable, and I think the extra 76 seaters will be over shadowed by the 717s coming in. I think we will see the lack of 50 seaters as a great thing, whether or not management planned to get rid of them anyways. They will be gone.
As far as negotiations go, we seem to be stuck each of the last couple times in precarious times. It's all about the timing. Yes, we could come back in 7 months and start again, but I don't know if oil will be high then, if the economy will be better then, if Iran/Isreal will be fighting by then, etc. But, this offer now is not bad, especially almost 20% for a 3 year agreement, and early. That's pretty darn good.
So, if people change their votes because of what I post, then that is their decision. I am for the TA until someone shows me a real reason to vote NO, and so far I haven't seen anything substantial. I don't need 100% speculation, even though it is interesting to read. I need some certainty, and this TA isn't that bad to say a blind NO to it.