Originally Posted by TED74

Retirements don't "begin in earnest" before the next amendable date. They are accelerating slightly, but don't really take off until after 2018. If we "sell" a fix to their training needs now, we do so on the cheap. I think we should hold that ace until the next round of negotiations and let them accelerate hiring and improve training efficiencies through their own internal means. We know that even in 2015 they were still dragging their hiring feet.

If you want to see a company scramble to negotiate early next time, you shouldn't solve all their problems now. Our currency at the moment is high profitability (which could change), and pattern bargaining off of our peers (whose results could also change). What WON'T change is the age of our top end.

Jmho.