Originally Posted by
Denny Crane
Timbo,
I think your description of the process leading up to contract 2001 is fairly accurate but leaves out one key ingredient as to how we got the payrates then and that's the payrate at United. Didn't we pattern bargain off their rates at the time?
As I see it, we can likely negotiate to be the highest paid pilots in the industry with the next contract. What I don't see is us getting $100+ an hour more than our competition. Don't get me wrong, I would love it and I think the company could afford it now but they will refuse, we will become deadlocked and the NMB will park us a la AA.
How do we get around this dilemma? That is the question for anyone out in APC land. I'm all for huge raises but how do we get past the NMB?
Denny
Well, first off, we stop comparing our pay to the other bankrupt airlines, when we are no longer bankrupt. We should have set SWA's 737 pay rate as our starting point, for our 737's and worked our way up through the other fleets from there.
Now, on the whole NMB thing. This is why we need National ALPA representation, vs. DPA. This is why we need PAC dollars. We need to politically persuade the guys who write the laws, to change them to our favor, or at least stop favoring management so heavily. Put a cap on the parking thing, make it 6 months max, then released to self help.
If that won't work, then we need National to start talking about a nation wide SOS, all ALPA carriers, for a week or so. Let the politicians drive from DC to their condos in Palm Beach. See if that gets their attention.
The problem with going down that road is, the politicians will quickly be looking to sell our jobs to China, India and the UAE, for more $$$$ into their re-election campaigns. Heck, they are looking to sell us out right now.
Why there was never a call for a National SOS after 9-11, when all our pay was being cut and our pensions being flushed is beyond me. I said back then, as soon as Delta filed bankruptcy and gutted our contract, we should have all filed for bankruptcy too. If for no other reason than to put a media spotlight on what was going on with our pay/pensions.
Until management and the politicians believe we are ready and willing to use the nuclear option, we will always be giving more than we are getting in contract negotiations. Since I've been working here (and long before I came along) every pay raise was coupled with concessions in other areas of the new contract. We are always giving away scope, benefits, work rules, manning formulas, etc. in exchange for pay rates...and as soon as the company starts losing money, we'll give the pay rates back too.
