Originally Posted by
GunshipGuy
When are we going to get people negotiating for us who don't think (bolded) this way? I'd prefer instead those working on the PWA who thought three steps ahead and continually asked themselves "How can we improve this and make it ironclad and what costs should we demand ahead of time if this part is not complied with?" Instead we seem to have the attitude stated above: Hindsight is 20/20; trust the other side; if it doesn't work out we'll fix it next time around; it's the best that could have done at the time, PERIOD. I doubt the company would be as forgiving if their "professional negotiators" allowed for so much trust, but so little verification.
Great idea, but lets look back to when all of this was done. They AF JV was done well before the economic collapse in Europe, and before the financial meltdown here. The common sense guidance was that Europe was relatively stable for us and growth would come to our side on a 2/3rds ratio. It hasn't and we have seen what a contracting environment does when you are to get 2/3rds of the block hrs or half of the EASK's.
Do you think that the company likes that a Reserve pilot can get pay no credit above guarantee and get their off days back when on reserve? Do you think they are happy that we can drop to zero hours in a month? Do you think they are happy that any DAL pilot can leave at any time they choose and they don't have a way to meter us out the door? Do you think they are happy with NO OE recovery for FO's now and they got a 12 month lock for new hires?
It happens on both sides. That is the reality. From the exit of Ch11 protection to very recently, DAL has been working to get to a place of 10% margins, reduced debt and a very stable business plan. We helped them get there. It was selfish motivation on our part. That has been good and bad for us. IMO, we are at a place in time where our company is making great profits, margins are steadily increasing, and they are still ahead of their competitors by a good bit. I would say we as a group have desired to get to this point. It where there is money available for our next round.
IMO it goes farther than that too. On the national level we have been seeing stead progress and opposition to issues that would negate all of this work and result in a very long downward trend that has little to no hope reversing for our US airline industry. Items that we are all aware of are the battle ground so we keep the same set of rules that allowed our corporations to get to this point in time. Fighting the AMR/LCC decision is the next iteration. If that merger fails you have the LCC pilots making up to 93 dollars an hour less than we do. The NMB looks at the industry pay and benefits not at whether your company can afford it today. That will be a boat anchor on or success next round. It is in your long term interest to see this merger happen, for AMR to emerge as a successful, sustainable company and for them like us to all have our compensation about equal. As many on here have said, good for DAL does not mean good for the Delta Pilots. Why you say?
Well, with the pilot compensation packages being about equal, pilot wages no longer are a competitive advantage. It "can" result in the ability to pattern bargain again. Remember that patterning of yesteryear is where we all look to for the definition of "restoration."
Hindsight is 20/20. You may take issue with that and I have from time to time. I have had concerns over the NAJV language for a few years, but instead of being irritated over past missives, I look towards getting improved protections that are built on what we see today as lacking in the agreement from a few years ago. Pointing fingers or calling someone or some entity a failure feels good, but it never solves the issue we all desire; getting better section 1 protections, better pay and better work rules that directly correlate to a better quality of life at work and at home.