At this point, the company has no real vested interest in caving in to give APA everything it wants. I know some of you think the company is willing to pay just about anything to get HBT and I/D combinations, but I think most of you have grossly over-valued those items and the willingness of management to get those changes.

The problem is we already have a contract. This vote is simply an amendment to that contract. Management has already costed out the previous contract, and they were prepared to work under that contract. Saying no at this point does nothing but tell the company to pound sand and support the "we sure told them" attitudes.

For those of you who think Parker and Kirby sit around in their offices and in their homes plotting of new ways to screw pilots, you shouldn't give yourselves that much credit. I really don't think they do. Our contract is one of many rocks they have to deal with on a daily basis. Is it a big deal? Sure, it's a big deal, but it's not the only deal and I really don't think they give a crap whether we take their offer or not. Obviously they would prefer we did so they could move forward with some efficiencies, but outside of that, they really don't care.

The truth is we're not going to see Min Calendar Day, Group III A321 pay, improved LTD, full LOS or any of those other things, even if we vote this down. I'd be willing to bet on it. So the choices are either live with the Green Book and the lower MTA pay, or take a deal that implements the Green Book plus a few structural changes and get higher pay. That's really the choices ahead.

And spare me the "inmates" comparison. Jeez, you guys are full of rhetoric. It's not a prison, you are free to leave at any point...and this job is certainly far from the worst job I've ever had...actually, minus the commuting, it's the best job I've had so far.