Originally Posted by
sailingfun
Bucking Bar, Sorry about your house. Had the same thing happen to me once in NC. Fried everything at the time. Good time to update with new stuff.
On another subject about a meeting we both claim to have been out where JC demanded ALPA merger policy for Comair. A post has been made on the Dalpa forum by one of the inside players that describes in Delta how Dalpa approached management with a program to give ASA and Comair pilots a seniority number at Delta. Management approved it. The ASA and Comair pilots lead by JC refused it completely and went back to their demands for a full merger with ALPA merger policy. You have to wonder how different your career at Delta would have been if they had said yes to a ground breaking program. I don't have permission to copy his name and the post but I will PM it to you.
Sailing,
The poster suggested that perhaps a flow through could be offered, for Captains, providing certain criteria were met. Terms to be cram down. No tears. What a deal.
How would Northwest's DC9 and A319 pilots respond to such an offer? How would Western's or Northeast's? Or Pan Am's ATR drivers who retired as DAL L1011 Captains?
JC Lawson (according to this report) told them no, that ALPA had a merger policy and it should be followed.
What many fail to realize is the effect of D-ALPA's misguided arrogance on Delta pilots. Delta pilots took unnecessary furloughs. Delta pilots saw their high water mark contract come apart within six months of ratification over scope failures. Delta pilots saw half their flying outsourced. Delta pilots entered bankruptcy and Delta (the Company) basically burned 4 Billion dollars* which today we are paying back with interest. The track record is abysmal.
Unity is always the best policy ... not for the Comair pilots ... for all of us.
Personally, I profited by sort of jumping a made up line. I'm "senior" to several thousand I'd had been junior to under the plan posted; however, half my airline's domestic flying was outsourced making it LESS than a wash. I really wish we had 4 billion back in the bank (plus interest) and we could have that cash to grow on.
Comair learned their lesson. Did we?
For review:
- Flow through agreements FACILITATE outsourcing
- Management is frequently unable to keep promises of pilot hiring
- Flow through agreements destroy longevity
- Flow through agreements do not provide job protection for mainline pilots (they lose their mainline jobs)
- Flow through agreements divide pilots
JC Lawson was correct to reject that ill conceived plan. Delta pilots should have objected as well. It just was not a good idea.
We just recovered some flying. I'm willing to applaud our current direction and will applaud the retirement of those gentlemen on both sides of the issue who cost us a decade.
* Note: I'm too lazy to add the full Capital Expense. New terminals, General Offices, 500 RJ's all cost something in addition to the purchase price of the airlines and proxy labor fight. The real number could easily be over 7 Billion.