Originally Posted by
hockeypilot44
Our industry has been reset with the bankruptcies. We will never make anywhere near what pilots did in the past. This United contract is definitely not concessionary as a whole. It is lagging behind the Delta contract though by a few years. I don't think anyone on this board's personal minimums were met, but this TA will pass. The pay rate increases are significant enough that the majority will not want to gamble with them. We are pilots. Pilots are conservative and avoid risks. Most pilots will not risk losing these raises. Unfortunately, the days of negotiating industry leading are over. We now negotiate industry standard which means after this contract, our industry will be maxed out other than getting COLA. I was really hoping this contract would up the Delta contract. I thought it was possible because of the huge scope concessions to match Delta's. I also really thought all furloughees would be made whole. I figured Delta made that the new industry standard. This TA is a disappointment, but again, it is not concessionary as a whole. I would vote no, but I have never voted yes on anything.
Explain exactly how the contract lags behind Delta. I'm not talking about your personal opinion regarding the quality of one section or another. I'm talking total annual dollar cost to the company. As I understand it, the TA is very near DAL in the first year and surpasses DAL in total dollar value after that. You say that it lags not by one year, but several years. What is the source of your financial analysis, in dollar terms only, that refutes what we are being told by the ALPA finance folks that say otherwise?
From FAQ:
1) Why are our pay rates less than DAL?
· Overall total contract value in 2013 matches DAL, then surpasses DAL in 2014
· We could have matched DAL pay rates in 2013 but we put the money in other areas of the contract
o 2013 our B/C fund defined contribution is 2% greater than DAL
o 2013 profit sharing percentage is greater than DAL
o Vacation value is greater than DAL
o Health care plans are better than DAL
o M5D rig will increase our W-2 compared to DAL despite lower pay rates
Ultimately the money was spent on items which are typically harder to bargain for than pay rates and we wanted to use the leverage we had now to lock these down. Although retro can never be considered as anything other than money unjustly withheld by the Company’s delay tactics, the 2013 Retro installment will close the gap in our take-home pay when compared to DAL.