Originally Posted by
Scoop
Guys,
Gerry is on to something. I have been to two separate roadshows during different cycles, been in ATL for two days of management briefings as a new hire mentor, and talked with my CP a few times.
A common theme that came up at every one of these venues has been our productivity and our sick leave usage. You can bet that both of these items are very high on managements "want list" for 2015. I must admit I have never heard of any discussions about mandatory upgrades but who knows.
So to answer your question "Who is talking about sick time?" The answer is senior DAL management. I don't know what "monthly minimums" are and I have not heard this come up yet but "pilot productivity" has come up at every one of the above occasions and is probably related to monthly minimums in one way or another.
Someone said that these are "trail-balloons." Well I guess so, but I would say more like management talking points. I have heard almost the exact same verbiage by different members of our management team in different venues - this can not be a coincidence.
But keep in mind we are not in discussions yet (to my knowledge) and management is entitled to their want list just as we are. C2015 will be a give and take between us and management. We have the most favorable negotiating environment in decades we should do pretty darn well.
So the sky is not falling, but being forewarned always helps.
Scoop
Good summary. My contact survey theme was "please don't make anything worse".
We are in a favorable negotiating environment. I want gains, but would accept slightly smaller gains in order to not take concessions somewhere else. We don't need CDOs, worse sick leave, pay banding, minimums or anything else that makes your QOL or W2 worse.
In this environment I lean toward a no vote for anything that makes a section of the contract worse. Of course, I will look at the whole package though.
This is THE opportunity to take a reasonable bite without throwing anything away.