Originally Posted by
shiznit
I've expected the Delta Pilots to pursue improvements at every turn, and to do it as fast as possible to increase my time off and buying power as much as possible, preferably to 1970's levels. Your "restoration" is a pretty nebulous term too if I may say.
More excuses. Restoration is not particularly "nebulous." In terms of pay rate buying power, it's just math and an inflation calculator. But keep throwing out that talking point. I guess some guys fall for it.
Originally Posted by
shiznit
Do you want to restore unlimited rj's? Restore immovable vacation? Restore lower vacation and training? Restore no PWA protections for joint ventures? Do you want to restore reserve pilot pay to 70 hours and 2 short call windows every day on call? Do you want to restore no devation from DH with PS on either end of a trip? Do you want to restore a retirement system that relies solely on the Company's promise to pay a check, and costs you a hefty percentage if you want to make sure your spouse/heirs get paid when you die? Are you just cherry picking what you want to "restore"?
Looks like Carl already schooled you on that one. Thanks for saving me some typing, Carl!
Originally Posted by
shiznit
Ok, I'm done with that. Let's find common ground going forward and work from there. I want a lot more improvements, and my checking account bears out that I am much better off than I was 7 years ago (I just tossed out the 7 year old tax docs, it was so ugly then).
I don't believe that increasing pay rates nearly 50% in 8 years is a "precedent that works against us". I'd love to keep up that trajectory as long as we can!
50% over 8 years sounds impressive! Until you put it into context. We took a 42% cumulative pay cut in 2004/2005, lost our pension, and had thousands of our jobs outsourced resulting in a full decade of stagnation. A 42% cut requires a 73% increase to get back to where you started. And that's without inflation/cost of living increase. When you factor in inflation over the past 10 years (that's right, it's been 10 years not 8), that 50% number doesn't look quite as impressive. Here's where we REALLY are in terms of buying power with our pay rates:
2004 767 Captain rate: $267.52
Adjusted for inflation to 2015: $342.98
Current contract rate in 2015: $226.21
That 2015 rate is a $117 per hour PAY CUT from the buying power of the 2004 rate!
Those are the raw numbers. You can talk about "50% over 8 years" all you want. But at the end of the day, the numbers don't lie.
And I didn't even get into how much each of us has already contributed to date to our company's recovery over the past 10 years. I'm only suggesting we fix our compensation going forward. They can have my "contribution" of probably around $1 million as my gift to help my company get through a crisis!
Originally Posted by
shiznit
I know there are many things in the PWA that are still behind where they need to be, many that have been "restored", and many things that are way better than the "restoration" line you've drawn for 2004. Donatelli and Morgado in this area are tasked with maximizing the PWA and follwing the direction of the MEC reps. It's not their place to decide what the goals are, it's their place to try and achieve the goals as given by their elected representatives.
Yet they do this without telling us. Then they (you) try to lower our expectations so we'll accept it. I know you think you're smarter and more informed than the average line pilot. You think you're just accepting reality, doing the best that can be done, and that restoration isn't possible. But like you said above, you don't get to determine that. At least that's not how it's SUPPOSED to work.
Originally Posted by
shiznit
I actually appreciate most of our back and forth, I'm ok "agreeing to disagree", because I think you stay fairly consistent and only 'go personal' once in a while. I would appreciate you refraining from the "Lee Moak disciple", "ALPA insider", and "you guys"-ing me however. If I have made personal remarks about you please let me know, it is not my intent. WE are in this together. I'm like any other pilot who wants to improve this profession as much as possible, I just happen to step forward and do some union work when asked. Not everyone does, I'm okay with that. I don't, however take "marching orders" from Lee Moak, he's so beyond my level of participation. I wasn't really much of a volunteer when he was the MEC Chairman, and National does much bigger issues.
I am willing to promote the ALPA goals with regards to the Legislative and Safety agenda, and I have stepped forward when Tim, King and Donatelli asked for more volunteerism. They are three VERY different people with VERY different styles, but it doesn't really matter, they all wanted to help put the Delta Pilots back on top of the profession(and when we have multiple pilots bailing from AA, SW, and US to be new hires at DL, I think that says something is being done right over here, but I digress). I have NOT agreed with things each one of them has done, but I'm not going to quit helping or disparage them in public over it. It's okay to not agree 100%, no matter if it's you, Timmy C, King, Donatelli, PD, T, whoever... We are on the same team, and our duly elected reps have decided to chose a Chairman that works for them, and I respect that process. I will keep helping because I find satisfaction in promoting and defending the profession and our careers as Delta Pilots.
You've got plausible deniability on that. But bottom line is that the people calling the shots within DALPA (guys like White, Harwood, Hanson, O'Malley, Fries, Hazzard, etc.) are simply an extension of the Lee Moak philosophy, which by its very nature takes anything like restoration off the table.
Originally Posted by
shiznit
Get on board 100% anyway, it's the only way we have a shot at reaching the lofty goals we all have. You won't have a different group negotiating in 2015, this is the team, you can either help push us all forward or you can be an anchor holding us all back. Your choice. We are exactly 8 months from swapping openers, time to start talking up support for the NC and participating when called for Contract preparation with your peers.
P.S. There you went with the "that bunch" thing... Stop with the othering of your fellow Delta Pilots, WE are all in this together.
Sorry, Shiz. Can't get on board with accepting such a dramatically lower value for our profession and our careers. I have too much respect for those of us who do this job, what it takes to be successful and get to this level, the sacrifices that we and our families make, the awesome responsibility we have, and the trust that people put in us to keep them safe.
How about this? You guys start showing some real leadership in restoring this profession. Define an objective that clearly states restoration. Start working on a plan to achieve it. Demonstrate that you're serious about that and you'll have more "unity" than you know what to do with!
What you don't seem to understand is that the root of your unity problem is that you keep trying to take us down a road that a large number of us find completely unacceptable. Fix that, and you might just be surprised at how successful we can be together.