Originally Posted by
Laughing_Jakal
No matter what contract we are under, I don't think we've done more than just "stridently object" (like Demi Moore in A FEW GOOD MEN) when the company rides roughshod over our agreement. We have already ratified language that we have needed to defend, and I believe no matter how good we write a contract, the company will always push the envelope. It's what they do. I say take the gains, and fight more than we have in the past for any overstep. Even if we negotiated the moon and stars....it is only as good as our willingness to block the door when they try to exploit it. Unless we are willing to do that, any attempt at TOGA or anything else becomes meaningless and empty words.
My words were "we need to create"....because I don't think we have an aggressive culture here now. This implies the need to do it now....while simultaneously securing gains. One does not preclude the other.
Tony, you know me better than that.
I've needed a new truck for many, many years. I haven't liked any of the new trucks. It finally came to the point that I had to buy a new one or sink a ton of new money into the old truck. But the new trucks weren't what I wanted. Didn't like the body style, didn't like the ergonomics, etc. Unfortunately, the next year's trucks were even worse (Ford had an aluminum frame for crying out loud - heresy).
Time to get off the pot. I bought the new truck. It is a huge improvement over my old truck. A huge improvement for the price? Maybe not, the body styles are hideous, but it is the going price, no matter what I think.
My personal pride ("what I'm worth as a pilot") is unaffected. I have a new truck, it has many attributes that drive me nuts. But it is a better truck than the old one. Calling Go Around, Flaps 28 wouldn't have helped. I would have come back around to the same problem.
This contract may not stroke my ego and tell me "nice pilot, good pilot" in every paragraph. But, it is a solid improvement over what we have now. I won't argue it's positives. To me, that is arguing for the company. But to me, it is an acceptable balance between what we need and what we wish for. Realism and fantasy. I may be proven wrong, but this contract is the truck I bought - realism and realistic, and not the fantasy I wish for.
For those calling for Go Around, I'm not sure you checked the weather at your alternate. When I look at the world economy, the visibility is coming down fast and the runways are not Cat III capable.