FDXLAG and ROCK not really just responding to just you, but it is a fair question. I've heard many purple bleeding, management type guys ask the same kind of questions. In reality if we accept this TURD we will be the first major airline that signs a contract coming out of the worst recession since the great depression. Everyone else that management, you and the union wants to compare us with has suffered through years of losses and bankruptcies--so to be currently leading the pack is not surprising and really not relevant. Maybe we should be comparing ourselves to other high tech companies who stayed profitable and grew profits almost 400% in the same time.

A better question is with such tremendous growth in revenue and profitability during such dire times why aren't we finally being rewarded for our contribution and why the hell would I give up any work rules and why would I accept any TA that doesn't even protect the value of what I have already earned as a minimum and improve not give away work rules. In addition I am actually unreasonable enough to want more than a cost of living pay raise. I know how hard I work and I'm damn sure I've earned it. Oh yeah I'm not done--I also demand some QOL improvements and won't give ANY concessions.

We might currently be leading other airlines but not because we moved ahead, rather everyone else moved backwards for more than a decade. FedEx is eager for a decade long deal because they know the gap between us and everyone else is closing rapidly and I would expect we won't be industry leading long. When the passenger carriers are out front in pay and benefits our company tells us we aren't in the same business. Then when we are leading we are told we can't ignore that we all share the same job skill set. How about we try and demand what we have earned and our company can afford. Protect the value of what we already have, give me a pay raise and I want some QOL improvements.

If you just look at the money FedEx has made and Everyone else lost for over a decade the fact we are even close is ridiculous. I like my job, but I refuse to keep working more legs with shorter layover, no weekend layovers or leg in and leg out flying, more and more unreasonably scheduled deadheads with unreasonable banks. Plus I'm tired of trip revisions and extensions, operational emergencies for just about anything. I have supported ALPA, our union and the NC until now, time to clean house.

So after paying dues, loyally supporting the union and the NC I am rewarded with a mere contract extension in pay that asks me to accept giving up class of service on deadheads, to start to travel on jumpseats, give up hotel in lieu of, do dash-8 deadheads, pay $25 to change tickets, give hotel rooms on hub turns, jumpseat and fly augmented on the 767 (no crewrest area and a bathroom in the cockpit), watch my retirement lose value to inflation, and increase my medical costs. Plus there is some side deal which is like mini-PBS with a larger percentage of lines than the current awesome secondary system we have but trust us we will sort the details out after we sign--seriously.

I know some of these changes will initially be limited as to who, where and when the company can screw, but do you honestly think the company isn't going to press and expand those concessions you are so willing to give them. Go ahead and trust them I haven't see any pattern of abuse with loose language or changes in the past (I'm smirking).

It is a shame we have paid so much money to have our own union and NC only to have them let us down. It is going to take a grass roots effort to make guys realize how bad a deal this really is. We need a to flush the yes votes back out to the line. I'm OK with ruffling a few feathers and not just eating the crumbs from managements table. You management types keep selling. I think the crew force has had enough. I know I am a definite NO Vote. Union Yes voters do the right thing and step down--good god aren't you suppose to be pilots first--some of you guys have been over there for decades.