I posted this on DALPA MEC Comm site...
We have a strong BATNA (Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement), and we should pursue it. Our BATNA is to maintain our current contract and continue negotiating. Time is on our side. Our current contract has pay increases in section 3.B.4. that prevent the company from giving other employee groups a raise without giving us one. Why do other Delta employee groups reject a union? Apparently, the majority anticipate higher pay without one, and management needs to offer pay raises to non-union employees to continue that expectation. With 3.B.4. management cannot give them pay raises without also giving the pilots the same raise under our current contract.
Our current contract has better scope, sick leave and no LCA trip pull. All of these affect QOL and pay. Richard is using a power-based negotiating strategy, which requires power/authority over the other party with little or no trust or sharing of information. However, he doesn't have sufficient power to pull this off unless we just roll over.
Why all the secrecy? Because sharing information means giving up power. The company doesn't want us to know what their plans are with some of these concessions and that worries me. Wall Street has expectations. RA holds 822,660 shares of DAL stock worth over $33M (
Reasons for Richard Anderson's Shares Sale of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE
AL)'s Stock - Octafinance ). The other executives are also compensated with DAL stock, which I believe is restricted to when they can sell. The folks who decide for the company have their own interests in this fight. I think over time Delta management will realize they have to pay us and get this deal behind them. The longer they wait, the worse Wall Street will react.