CGfalconHerc,

This is where you and I get crossed up. JC and Ford did not form the RJDC. They were on opposing sides of the spectrum. Further, no offer of help was ever refused by the RJDC or Dan Ford. In fact, Dan Ford told JC Lawson his attempt at leveraging the furloughees was wrong and would not work. Dan Ford was not a Status Rep, he was a line pilot. He did not represent anyone, except himself. JC Lawson was an ALPA EVP. His antipathy towards Dan Ford was not unlike our MEC's view of the DPA leadership.

I've not gotten into the details of how I would propose extending our list down, but, Pan Am's example with Ransome (Pan Am Express) serves as one example which could be looked at. Since pilots like to bid (and do not like to be forced) I would propose to let the express guys keep their number within their express system. There would also be a system seniority number given which would be the result of the Delta list + (express guys by DOH). The mainline bids would run off the system seniority number. Eventually, when a guy could hold a mainline job, he could bid up. Conversely if there were displacements, they would use the system seniority number in the same fashion. In plain terms, such a system would allow pilots to bid for what they wanted. (by the way, I stole that idea lock, stock and barrel from Dan Ford who you claim demanded DOH on our list ...)

The "RJ Defense Coalition" gained it's name as a result of the Contract 2000 scope metrics which did not work from inception. To explain; the ratio of mainline to RJ flying was basically 1/3 to 2/3. With 500+ new RJ's coming from a prior order, the Delta fleet would have had to grown by 1,500+ to keep up. It seemed everyone on the express side of the house knew contract 2000 could not function as designed without major changes. The RJ guys figured "their" airplane order was going to get cancelled so that Delta could remain in compliance. Thus the name ... the RJ Defense Coalition.

They had hoped to secure an ally, and funding, from Bombardier. Bombardier's response is that Delta was the customer and Delta was taking the airplanes (insert sound of slammed door).

If course we know the history. Almost immediately (within 6 months) Contract 2000's scope provisions began to fail and ALPA always provided scope relaxation in time to accept the deliveries of airplanes scheduled all the way back with the 1999 order.

IMHO there have been times we have really failed to do our homework. We are on the edge of another opportunity where we need to do our homework and be prepared. This problem will be solved, as they all are. ALPA simply has the choice of whether to participate on the front end (as we did with great success in Delta's merger history), or if we choose to be reactionary and try to leverage something from the changes being imposed on us (as we did following Contract 2000).

Seems to me our leadership has a well developed skill set in this area. I hope they will engage.