Originally Posted by
Bozo the pilot
I went thru this in RAH and saw ALL the tactics used in a negotiation. This is one of them. They give a small, meaningless raise to endear themselves to some of the more junior pilots who are less financially secure. This does 2 things: it makes the union look anemic and it fools many pilots into thinking "at least the company is doing something for me and not taking 1.9%".
When we go into mediation, which is where this is going, the company can use our acceptance of their "raise" as an asset when dealing with the NMB. It makes it harder to be released to strike, if needed. Then when we try to embarrass jetblue by picketing, they send a press release illustrating their "goodwill" and the fact that even after accepting a pay raise, the pilots remain greedy for more.
Its a gameplan started before the union was even voted down years ago. These are professional UNION BUSTERS that they have hired. The company is using the playbook and has all the advantages.
As a recent former ExpressJetter this resonates with me as well. This feels like a move to reduce our overall leverage (very legitimate concerns + picketing + strike vote) for an amount of money that will be instantaneously mitigated by reduced profit sharing. Every move that the company makes is done for a negotiating purpose, they may be thinking ahead to mediation and their overall record as to labor relations. How will they explain their decisions to date?
I'm not saying I've made up my mind, but I will say that anyone that thinks this is the company extending an olive branch is likely disconnected from the way these things are done in the modern era. Consider your vote carefully unless you are 100% happy with:
the status quo,
plus 8%,
minus 33% of your current status quo profit sharing check.
I will add one final detail. I hear the "yes" guys arguments with respect to supporting the MEC's position. But in my ALPA experience, it's important to contact your rep directly to ensure that you understand their thinking, rather than expecting a blastmail to give the nuances to you.
Once the hubbub dies down, I intend to do this and my rep will know my decision before I fill out the ballot.