For the last few years as a Delta pilot, I've been standing in green grass. I've appreciated just how nice the grass was on my side of the fence. While I've been standing in my lawn admiring the grass with the other 13,000 pilots, our neighbors at United, American and UPS have been watering and fertilizing. Their grass looks pretty good now. I applaud their accomplishments and would recommend that anyone applying to an airline today closely investigate the green grass throughout the neighborhood.

The thing about UPS pilots is they know management views them as overpaid truck drivers that are a cost to be minimized. There is no secret they are viewed as blue (brown) collar hourly wage employees. They happen to have a skill set that demands a high hourly wage and have negotiated that wage.

The fallacy at Delta is that we are "leaders" and "integral to the operation" and offered the occasional pat on the back for a good dead. The reality is we are a cost that should be minimized. Our current CEO lost so much sleep in fact, he had to buy a better vacation condo just to recover from not stealing enough in bankruptcy. Pilots are told one thing in public, but management actions are counter to what is said. Many are fed up with not delivering what was promised (Steve Dickson's "industry leading contract" comes to mind).

The grass is still green, mostly due to the regular warm yellow rain offered by management. I know it can be much greener if we recognize the pile of BS we're staring at and bury it under the lawn. 65% of us bought umbrellas and shovels last year.