Originally Posted by Purple Drank

You ask which contract I would rather have. I tell you that is irrelevant. No one else is as successful as Delta is now. Our contract is inadequate not because of where it does or does not rank within the industry; it's inadequate because we have not reaped the rewards of the company's success even remotely commensurate with the sacrifices by the pilot group when the company foundered.

Try this on. If the Volunteers ever reached #1 in a national poll (as unlikely as it is), would you expect them to sit on their asses, march around, and brag about being #1? That's pretty much all you're doing right now.

Or would you expect them to work even harder, and live up to their potential--regardless of whether they're playing UF or East Bumble**** State? To do everything they can to win NOW, because who knows what next season will bring?

I view our situation as being a team that's currently #1 after a handful of games. You want us to be satisfied with that, without finishing the season. I think it's nowhere near our potential. Simply put: you are complacent. I am not. You hit the panic switch. You didn't think there was more money on the table. You got swayed by the sales job of "fleeting opportunities" and the "time value of money."

The attitude of someone demanding to know "what contract would you rather have" in our present circumstances reeks of self-defeat and, frankly, laziness. We've got to take advantage of this NOW...before our circumstances change.

We have enabled a "union" that generally takes the path of least resistance. That falls squarely on our shoulders. Results: the past couple of agreements have been a pathetic joke given the company's success. It's going to be damn hard to boot the entrenched bureaucrats out of there, but it must be done. Leadership. Where is it?

If we want it, we've got to be ready to depart our comfort zone. For goodness' sake, MD doesn't even have the "engagement" juice to keep us out of an unsuitable hotel for two months! Two months! Be honest: that's some weak sauce.

Our complacent mindset (as personified by you) as a pilot group needs changed if we expect to cash in on the company's success (which we in no small part make possible).