RedeyeAV8r, It was not Skywriting who made the comments you replied to... apparently the quote option does not work on his computer... Those were MY earlier comments.
Originally Posted by RedeyeAV8r
To Skywriting
Point 1: I don't work for Delta but these guys/gals have already given in most cases in excess of a 50% cut in Pay & Benefits last year. What did their MGT do with the billions in concessions?
Apparently, management is asking for more from the empolyees people with the highest pay scales... the unions may have bargained down from what was earlier deemed necessary by management.
Point 2. If you were currently working in the industry and had experience with collective bargining your opinions would carry some weight, however, You do not and they don't.
I'm not really sure why this is being brought up... people are entitled to opinion and rational thinking.
Point 3. The whole point of collective bargining to have a
Legal right to ask for Quid pro Quo when in discussions (negotiations) with MGT, both in Good times and the Bad. The Delta Pilots have a contract. All they are asking is for MGT to bargin...........not dictate.
There is nothing wrong with this, but it seems that pilots are unwilling to take any paycuts in the mainline when they are the only employees making in excess of 80K. Where else is the company supposed to take cuts?... FA's, baggage handlers... those people make less than nothing to start out with... IF Executive bonuses are cancelled, this usually means little and will only be a respectful formality because bonuses in certain cases are usually given in company stock options, rather than cash.
All emloyees at delta are suffering... particularly those who only make $9.00 or so an hour. And now the pilots want to strike during difficult times at Delta and run the airline into the ground... and put everyone out of work. I have a feeling that non-pilots are not on the same boat in terms of striking. Most Delta mainline pilots after the cuts will be making well above the national average income. I think this is reasonable considering difficult times.
When times are GOOD then pay-raises and added benefits are always a good thing and there will be NO objections from my side of the fence.
Let's all pray that this striking issue will be resolved quickly and not to the detriment of the company.
Point 4 is probably the most important. If it wasn't for collective bargining in the first place (Meaning Unions) you probably would not want this Job anyway. The Delta Pilots are a professional bunch and they know what they are facing...................Why do you think 95% of them voted to strike? Do you really think 5400 hundred pilots would just arbitrarily vote to strike?..................That is their last legal method to attempt to get their MGT tp bargain in good faith..............Just like the NW Pilots were faced with a month ago.
I may want this job, but I may not have it if the Delta strike drives Delta out of business... then a little guy like me after schooling will have a couple hundred hours compared to the thousands of hours ex-Delta guys will have... as well as ex-Indy air pilots, as well as all the furloughed and laid off pilots across the country.
I think in the end if this stike ends Delta, it would be because pilots have too much pride and too little concern for other people (new pilots and non-pilot employees alike).
Point 5. Unions having too much power?....Pleeeaasssse. Can unions stop Corp Exces from getting Multi Million in bonuses afer they squander Billions and running Airlines into bankruptcy? Can Unions get MGT to price their product where they can make a profit? Can unions save the corporate pension fiasco?All the Unions can say is enough is enough and that is what you are seeing presently.
In an earlier post I retracted this opinion... I don't have the time or capability to gather the references to verify my claim... so I won't go into this any further.
Point 6. If you do get into the industry, I would love to hear your opinions after a year or so on the line. Until then, I suggest that you Sit back, watch, learn and keep your uniformed "outside looking in" opinions to a minimum................
If I ended up hating flying for the airlines after a year... I'll quit. Just like any other industry if the working conditions aren't satisfactory for an individual they can just post their resume and move on. Most pilots are well educated, but very demoralized... this is quite perplexing... if a person hates a job enough, they should quit for their own benefit... not drive the industry to the ground because of bad feelings.
This brings another gripe that I have with the airlines... pensions... unless they can be taken on by new employers or transferred from career to career then they need to be phased out (with the new generation) and converted into personal investment schemes that can follow an individual regardless of employer or career choice. I think ultimately it is adherence to pensions (among other things) that keep pilots unhappy and immobile... two of the things that are poison in the employee pools of big business.
Just one pilot's opinion who has been in the industry for 20+ years and just like many of my bretheren who post here, I've been thru negotiations x 6, paycuts after paycuts, furloughs. mergers, strikes, staring over 3 times. I am fortunate enough to currently be employed by a very profitable company. I have seen it all except for the Divorce and that is one I hope to avoid.
I for one understand what the Delta (and other Pilot groups are facing) I know they face a very tough choice. But I for one admire them and support them 100%. Who knows I may be faced with the same choice in the coming year.
I understand and respect your experiences and opinions concerning this issue, however there are repeated concerns of mine that have yet to be addressed.
I'm hoping that eventually someone will give me solid, common sense answers that I can understand.