Originally Posted by
Herkflyr
No I am not. But I have always been amused by the guys obsessed over job numbers. We have min staffing numbers in the contract anyway, and since premium pay flying is actually a factor that triggers the staffing requirements (i.e. the more GS, the more pilots required, which will eventually lessen the numbers of GS, so it all balances out in the very long run). But where does it end? Why don't we augment for > 7 hours of flying, or > 6? Why don't we go back to a hard cap, and make it 60 hours, and call anyone flying 61 a wannabe scab?
"This week's crisis is next week's footnote." I've been around for awhile, and most agreements eventually reach between us and the company usually end up fairly positive, with some exceptions (C96, BK LOA 46, which was necessary, and post-BK LOA 51 which was not). ALL TAs that I have ever seen have been accompanied by the almost guaranteed complaints and gnashing of teeth.
Meanwhile we have better pay and work rules than any other legacy carrier, and are trying to do even better. DALPA must have done something right in the past few years, though you would never know it reading some guys.
I'm at least "troubled" by the CDOs. I DO think this should go to memrat just due to the scope of the agreement. I just don't want to burn the place down until I have heard far more details.
Originally Posted by
slowplay
Nope, but apparently you are. I focused on the facts.
Your mirror must be a tough reflection.
Yup, we're not paid enough. You're currently receiving $2.35 per hour less than you did on the same equipment in 2004. You've got a frozen pension.
That sucks.
On the upside, you're getting 15% DC. You got 8.2% profit sharing this year. The airline is finally growing again (looks like 850 new hires this year), and the speed of that upgauging came from a contract you deride and argued against. The MEC just approved another mid contract deal that put an additional $36 million per year in pilot pockets.
And all those similarly situated airlines that negotiated after you are still behind you. Oh, and $750 million of the money that you mentioned is being used to pay pension debt early - why didn't you mention that?
Why was your self worth so low when you willingly agreed to undercut the contract you aspire to by 10-15% back in 2003?
Slowplay. Let me start by saying I have no dog in this fight as I was brought in after the merger. However, It does seem to me that you love to throw "you have a frozen pension" in the face of former NWA pilots. I fail to see your argument? They negotiated to keep that, No? Similarly, the pre-merger Delta MEC had bankruptcy negotiations with management and we're unsuccessful in keeping or negotiating the same with their management. What am I missing? It seems like you anger about this issue should be directed at the very same people who should have fought harder to keep your pension.
Perhaps, the MEC should ask management when they are going to make good on the concessions that were forced upon the pilot group. I can understand the anger of the guys I fly with see management buy shares of other airlines, provide billions in shareholder value while their union says nothing.
Just my 2 cents