BTW, Scoop,

I think we agree on more than you think. I don't like the AIP's much. In particular, I dislike the VB/TDY provisions. It sure feels like our own AIP's are more concessionary than what we read in this thread, but that may simply be because we're taking a much closer look at our own contract.

I'm not a fan of the process that got us to where we are now, but I think I'm being realistic about our options considering the confines we're working under, including the industry, and NMB.

I think what we're doing is aimed at getting us the highest total compensation by a decent margin, while having an overall contract that's at the top, but probably no better. At the end of the day, we'll make more money, and still probably be no more productive than any of the others (purely a guess on my part).

So we're not putting as many eggs in the QOL basket as some of us might like, but I think the average guy, for better or worse, looks at W-2 vs. relative to their friends in their guard unit, or on the golf course. There, I think we'll be up by a respectable amount, assuming we don't completely fail to reach a deal.