Originally Posted by
Karnak
I want to see you on record as admitting that the rates at other airlines don't matter to you.
And I'd like for the Easter Bunny to bring me a new car.
I've already explained this once. Maybe you didn't read/comprehend it? Or maybe you just forgot what you asked me in the first place.
Here's your question:
"If we were 50% above 2004 pay rates, but 5-10% behind our peers…you'd be happy?"
And here is the answer I gave:
Originally Posted by
DAL 88 Driver
I really, honestly, do not care what anyone else makes. 50% above the 2004 MD-88 Captain rate would put me at $356/hour. Yes, I would be more than happy with that! It's more than I even expect. This isn't a competition. This is about getting appropriate compensation for the job we do, the responsibility we have, and for the sacrifices we've all made to get to this point in our careers. Whether you look at 2004 (C2K) rates or, for example, 1986 rates... they come out about the same in terms of buying power. There was a standard of living provided by this profession that was pretty well established for decades. That standard of living was decimated through the bankruptcy process. And DALPA has spent the past almost decade acting as if bankruptcy has established a "new normal." There's lots of blame to go around for why we took the cuts in the first place. But like many things in life, it's how you respond to adversity that really defines you. At this point, I believe most of the blame lies squarely at the feet of DALPA. They have responded very poorly.
A 34% pay cut is not appropriate today. I don't think it was even appropriate for bankruptcy (it was too much), but it's certainly not appropriate now with our company making billions in profits!