Originally Posted by
Regularguy
How do you define "concessionary?"
If you mean that each and every section and paragraph of the contract doesn't show improvements and some even show some reductions, then every contract in my almost 38 years has been concessionary.
What do you want?
Money, duty rigs, commuting ease, base availability, easy reserve (no short calls), or what?
Everything has a price and to broadly call something "concessionary" is being intellectually dishonest (and a bit hyperbolic).
If there were "good old" days in this industry would someone please let me know when that was. It's been a fight with management for the whole time I've been at UAL, so I don't know what some seem to expect.
What I want is a deal that is a forward move, not a lateral move when most of the airlines are reporting record profits. Pay scales are very much a secondary consideration for me. Work rules, job security, and retirement are primary concerns for me. I look at a contract in its totality. I completely understand that this is a negotiation and we don't just get to demand what we want. Everything has a cost to it (for both parties).
First, the Delta deal...
65% of their pilots voted no. Thank God!!! They got decent, not great pay scales and a 1% increase in their DC plan (woo hoo). The cost was a haircut on profit sharing, JV language that was a serious threat to their career progression and job security, and a draconian sick policy. I viewed this deal as a loss of ground, not an overall gain.
Second, the FedEx deal...
The only thing that I can see that is really not acceptable is their retirement proposal. No changes to the "A" fund which means that because of adjustments for inflation means that what they get upon their retirement will not have that much buying power (especially for pilots getting hired now and retiring in 20-30 years). A low (I think about 9%) B fund. Industry standard is 16%.
Third the SWA deal...
Huge cave in scope! They not only let the camel nose into the tent, they let the whole camel in the tent with scope. Not only that, but they have a proposal of a 10% MATCH for their retirement. Industry standard is a DC plan with a 16% contribution.