We all want more pay and more time off. The problem is the RLA process is stacked in favor of management. One of the interesting things is when we get new blood and reformers in the union they often end up with similar thoughts to the incumbent they ousted. The reason is with a reasonable intelligence level you get the same results from the same set of facts.
We are just starting the contract process. What we attempt to gain has to be a balance. The union will look at the contract surveys and gather input from lounge shows. They will then reach out politically and determine are support level in DC. They will get briefed by the NMB on their expectations and timelines. They will speak with professional negotiators and lawyers who specialize in labor. In the end they will try and craft a opener that will produce the best gains for the pilot group. Open outside of what the NMB feels is the zone of reasonableness and they will ice us. Open to low and we leave money on the table. American is a perfect example of opening for the moon and five years later have a pay increase of zero.
Management is not going to let their pilot costs get to far above the competition without a long drawn out fight. Even if the NMB feels we are being reasonable you are looking at 3 to 3.5 years before a release at the very earliest. If they don't feel you're within reason they will ice you indefinitely. The key to getting the most value for the pilot group is striking the right balance.
We can open for a 40% raise and work rules requiring 20% more pilots. It will look great on paper and we can all thump our chests at how tough we are. 5 years later the chest thumping will be getting painful and our gains will be zero. Balance is the key. Google NMB and reasonableness, interesting reading.