Originally Posted by
dracir1
So, you mean to tell me that Indigo could continue to stall our NC for EVER and nothing would come of it? That F9 pilots could just be stuck w/ their current contract and the NMB just shrug their shoulders and say "Well, it's not the greatest contract but it's not so bad that we should release you to self help"?
No, I'm thinking the guys and gals at the NMB are smarter than that. They understand the FINANCIAL climate of the airlines right now (which is to say approaching as prosperous a time as before 9/11) and realize just how much profit Indigo is making. And, they realize a great deal of that profit stems from paying their labor the LOWEST amount in the industry.
Oh, so now you say maybe they need to offer us something. Well, they have. It was much worse than the NK AIP. And you think that if negotiations continue w/ the ridiculous offer they made, that might just get us released but the NK offer won't. If we get what NK got offered, we won't get released because that offer is the bar - the baseline by which any offer comparable or better will result in non-release? You're SURE that offer, still well below most of the industry flying the same or similar planes, is at least enough to be put on ice like NK - a pilot group that had a TRO placed on them? Despite F9's history as being one of the highest paid but accepted concessions in their last contract to keep the company alive (and not strand thousands of airline passengers w/ worthless tickets awaiting refunds from a bankrupt company)? Despite the fact that the pilot group was ALREADY supposed to be paid much more via their LOA 67 which, when disputed, found the company to be not negotiating in good faith? None of that matters because the NMB is stupid or just unwilling to consider history or who's in office?
Really?
Ya know, all this trolling is starting to make sense to me. Just minutes after that NK AIP came out and their pilot group was told negotiations were over and, it seems like everybody and their brother came to this thread trying their hardest to be as disruptive and derogatory as possible towards the F9 pilot group. Now that NK is done, "they" can concentrate efforts on us. This amount of trolling has me thinking it's a good sign - "they" being mgt/Indigo knows the battle w/ our pilot group is going to go to the wire and are afraid of what might result...
I wish I shared your optimism but the NMB has already allowed other pilot groups to remain in mediation for well over 4 years. We've barely been in it for 1. In one relatively recent case the Mediator petitioned the board for a proffer and was not only denied, but removed from the case.
To the NMB a proffer is a concession of failure. I'm not saying we'll never get released if Frontier/Indigo don't offer more, but they don't have to offer much. As long as they can create an "illusion of progress" they will continue to buy time.
I expect we'll get a contract from the pressures of market forces before a release from the NMB, which I'd be shocked if it were this year.
Those who posted above that the sky isn't falling are dead on. Frontier is a money factory and will continue to be at least the rest of this year. When the presses start to slow we will get our contract. Not when the NMB releases us. I've got my strike fund saved, in case I'm wrong. I'd be very surprised if I have to use it though.