The contract that we voted in was a huge improvement over the last contract and over the laughable TA1. Could we have gone the distance and maybe gained some improvements? Yes, but the improvements would have been incremental and would probably have been outweighed by the time and therefore money lost doing it.
Just look at pay per day for reserves. What a huge and underrated gain at the time. Reserve used to be like a leper colony and now you see guys picking up reserve blocks left and right. How much money has that made our pilot group? I bet it will be in the millions soon if not already.
Meanwhile, the same no voters would have still been entrenched and whining like they still do now in their safe spaces (Prune) because the koolie snowflake yes voters gave away the store.
No, reason and logic won the day and we walked away from the table with a fair deal. Timing dictated Delta and then United leapfrogging us, but that same timing should be on our side next go around.
Did we get everything I wanted in this contract? Not by a long shot, but that’s the downfall of being in this communist working man’s paradise union. I don’t get everything I want. We achieve what is best for the majority of the members and move on. Same with vacation voting. Funny how the same 5 guys are still shouting voter fraud and election rigging on the swapa forum because we didn’t vote what THEY wanted.
Next go around, we are going to be in a better place. How do I know? Look at our union leadership. They aren’t taking trips to France or Oshkosh and wearing hats emblazoned with their company names on them. They aren’t carrying the company’s water. They are advocating for us, as it should be.
We need some big improvements in the next contract. Pay, of course, but that is such a small part of the secret sauce here. Work rules and pilot disability and associated benefits are my two biggest peeves. No more scope, no PBS, no givebacks.
To answer the OPs question, it depends. The way we make widgets here is so different than most other airlines, it just isn’t a fair comparison to say we make x per hour. The 1.15 conversion works out pretty good.