Originally Posted by
gloopy
As you know, these surveys can easily be crafted on the front end and results contorted on the back end like an "evil genie" and be made to say basically anything in the hands of the right statistician.
Huh? Are you saying pilots are unaware of where our contract fits within the industry, and what items we'd like to see improved? I don't think the wording of the question matters.
In 1996, the #1 item on the NWA pilots survey response was "B" scale, even though half the pilot group had never been on one! It was #1 by a large margin. #2 was pay rates, but it barely beat Scope. Those results were across all demographics.
Originally Posted by
gloopy
Its very common for pilots to list pay as a top priority. Of course it is. But doing so does not mean there is a mandate to concede in other areas to achieve it. Many of the questions are classic Sophie's choices where no matter how you answer, you're agreeing to sacrifice something for something else.
Disagree. Pay vs Crew Meals? DC Percentage vs Hotel location? Scope vs
In vitro fertilization coverage? Profit Sharing vs Out Of Base Green Slip priority? Using "Sophie's Choice" as an analogy doesn't work. That was a life-or-death situation. The survey asked us to rank items in our contract. The results suggest the pilot group felt any "sacrifices" in the deal were offset at an acceptable rate. Do you see it as otherwise?
Originally Posted by
gloopy
Pay will always be one of, if not the, highest item listed on a survey where you rank your priorities. But that does not mean that selling more scope or work rules is the answer unless that was specifically stated in the survey, and we all know it absolutely won't be.
Some items go to the second tier in Section 6. They just do. The top tier items then become weighted by both their valuation, and how "religious" they're considered by each side. I gave you an example of something other than pay being ranked first. The result of that survey, and subsequent negotiation, led to a strike.
I understand the disappointment some (18%?) feel about having anything in the PWA changed for the worse in any deal, but I don't think there's a better way to determine the collective objectives of our pilot group in Section 6 other than an all-pilot survey.
Can you think of one?