Originally Posted by
deltajuliet
I don't think the financials are that strong, and I get the feeling those FFD contracts aren't exactly "lucrative." Why we couldn't get them for the same rates SkyWest does is beyond me. And if this full new hire class isn't a fluke, we just lost a good chunk of leverage for the TA (management's ability to staff).
Nobody here is going to vote in a bad TA. The older guys have taken enough abuse over the years and the younger guys know their worth. But if management is still filling classes what's the incentive for them to come back to the table and negotiate with any degree of seriousness? That leaves us at an impasse until they can't fill classes or we get to mediation.
Yeah--kinda easy to fill new hire classes when the company can just ignore the contract and pay whatever they need to keep the sludge flowing into the schoolhouse.
It remains to be seen whether ALPA national's legal team will take their typical "convivial/kumbaya" tone with management about the Section 6 implications of those new hire payments/iPad reimbursements, or whether they'll actually try to hammer the issue with the NMB. Personally, I'm not optimistic.
The unspoken directive from Herndon and the legacy skygods ever since the Comair strike has been "keep the feed stable--and keep it cheap." Not sure if we'll see that change in our lifetimes...ALPA national (which includes our legal/financial advisors) seems more concerned with preclearance facilities in Abu Dhabi than the fact there are scores of FOs flying 76-seaters who qualifiy for food stamps. I don't anticipate them or our MEC opening the Pandora's box of a section 6 violation on our behalf--too much risk they'll compromise the cheap feed us serfs provide to the legacy fiefdoms of UAL and AA.