Originally Posted by
Karnak
Have you chosen to not bid a captain seat over the past 2 of those years? On another thread there is speculation about how junior captain will go.
As a new hire I flew with captains who'd been S/O's for 12 years, and gone on strike 5 times. Apparently the industry is cyclical. I was in the left seat when the music stopped. Wasn't my plan - wasn't my fault.
If the Briar Patch of mediation dilutes our earnings over that period, then it is a bad thing. We could have spreadsheet wars over it, but I think we can agree that extended periods of no increases can equate to lower net earnings.
Agree with you. Sick is the Company's issue. I don't know how PS would look under that hypothetical. I do remember the guys that sat next to me at the roadshow in 2009 that angrily claimed we'd never see a penny of PS.
I don't care how RA feels. I expect him to do his job as best he can. I think he expects the same of us. I also think the RLA gives him the upper hand when times are good because he has the ability to stall. When times are bad we tend to have the upper hand, unless a judge gets involved.
I would have held Reserve CA in NYC maybe 2 bids ago. Just because you can change a "pay rate" doesn't mean you will get a "pay raise" if your costs go through the roof. I have a feeling its not going to matter. I was at a PUB event and saw an interesting graph where we are looking at 2800 or so age 65 retirements by 2021. The DALPA guys can correct me and show the graph if I am in error. Even if there is an age change, that is a lot of training and advancement for the bottom third of the list. Yes, I know the industry is cyclical after my NWA furlough (sans the furlough pay) and two other furloughs at another company all in 2 years. I am very well prepared and have very sharp elbows to survive as needed.
IRT sick leave, again, not our problem esp since we can't bank it. Flight Ops wrote it on the last contract and they can deal with it. I don't abuse it but I don't want to see a degradation of it as the pilot group gets older. They can always go after the sick leave abusers on their own time.
I am always thankful for the South guys to get the Profit Sharing program. Personally, I feel it is "riskier" to combine two funding streams into one. After they come for pay cuts (and get them when the economy tanks), I highly doubt they will would give the same terms and conditions for Profit Sharing.
RA has his job to do as I do mine. He has a current, enforceable contract in place that deals with Profit Sharing, Sick Leave and Training Freezes. More than happy to not be in a rush for a deal.
Thanks for the response.