Kudos to JetBlue's Pilot Voting Committee!
Great points and timing from our PVC, as we head into our comparative "salary" review with management. Here's the summary.
-Profit Sharing: We're at almost 0 w/everyone else near 5%
-Pay Rates: In a narrow body comparison we fall 16% short
-Vacation and Healthcare are lacking. Healthcare costs, passed on to pilots, are way out of proportion to our peer groups.
Everyone will now scream that we've known about these things, but now is the time to act. This is the first time in the company's history that things are swinging the way of labor in this industry.
This is "make or break" for the company. We need to see a meaningful offering. It could come in a variety of areas at different rates, or in a specific area. I believe this is the tipping point for ALPA and for the ranks of the company's mid-level first officers. Without a double digit hourly pay increase, ALPA is a given, and the exodus to DAL/UAL/AA begins.
I think a minimum of 10% will squelch some fires. The company could really sweeten things by combining a pay increase with making changes to vacation and retirement. I think the company has dug it's heels in on the healthcare debate. I don't believe they'll budge there.
The timing of this "brief" is calculated and exact. I still can't figure out how VA pilots are getting a raise and the company has yet to make $1.00? This is real and the time is now.
-Bubs