Originally Posted by
OnCenterline
I didn't read all 11 pages of this thread, but I saw this and felt it needed to be addressed. This is a statement that shows a fair amount of ignorance of labor law, especially the RLA. Having been on strike, I speak from experience.
I have no doubt that management is going to play as many games as possible, since this is a first contract, but a strike is, at best, several years away for a number of reasons. Realistically, it's not likely to happen, especially given that Allegiant has a sizeable presence in some politically important states (Florida and Arizona). I'm not saying it can't happen, I just don't think it will happen.
More than likely, the company will drag this out for 2-3 years, and then when the NMB gets serious about initiating the cooling off period, they will finally put a serious offer on the table.
To the OP, this is easy: go to Allegiant. It will be MUCH easier to get a job at a major once you've flown mainline equipment. Further, and this may be the most important thing, Allegiant controls its own product. RAH does not. Don't underestimate the importance of that.
Since I'm the one you called ignorant, I'll chime in here. While you may have past experience with striking, I think you know little about our business model and our management. First, if we disappeared tomorrow, nobody except Ma and Pa in Wichita would notice. We don't carry mail, have no EAS routes, and we have virtually zero effect on interstate commerce. Second, negotiations have been going for almost 2 years now and have accomplished very little. We've been in Mediation for months now and from what we are told, the mediator is growing tired of management's "surface bargaining".
Of course they could lock us out, but with shareholders and countless vendors wondering where their customers went, the stakes are high and shutting the business down for any appreciable period of time just because the pilots want a couple more bucks would send the stock price into a tailspin. In the end, that's all that matters.