Originally Posted by
aa73
Parker WANTS us to believe he's fine with arbitration. It's all posturing.
Two things about arbitration:
1) the uncertainty of arbitration makes Parker and team nervous
2) the uncertainty of arbitration makes Wall Street VERY nervous.
The F/As going to arbitration are a VERY different animal than the pilots going to arbitration. Night and day different.
I believe that management wants a deal. It's in their best interest. But they won't give in lightly.
Parker and team do not win with arbitration. Not only is there a lot of uncertainty on what we will get, then he has to deal with the wheels coming off the operation as a very ticked off membership reacts (not illegally - just doing their jobs and nothing more.)That's enough to strike fear in even the most hardened management.
Just one man's opinion.
....let's also remember that in arbitration, the door is slammed in Parker's face regarding scope. If anything, AAG's initial proposal tipped his hand that scope is something he really feels he needs to compete in the future.
Now, in a perfect world (if this was section 6), I'd accept nothing less in exchange for industry scope then taking Delta's CBA lock, stock and flap handle and just taping "AGREEMENT between AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC and THE AIRLINE PILOTS in the service of AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC......", etc. over Delta's Title. But we all know we don't have that leverage (well we do, but that's a different argument). If we're going to allow anything CLOSE to industry scope in this situation, they will HAVE to better then that initial proposal and the principle comparator is Delta pay (present AND future !) with a more accurate compensator for profit-sharing if he is adamantly opposed to that. In arbitration we still get the lions share of pay parity in 13 months or so, but Parker's apparent sacred cow remains in its pasture safe from the slaughterhouse.
I think they lose as much, if not more then us in arbitration.