Originally Posted by
Planetrain
This is terrible logic. You hope it goes slow? That’s the measure?
Time has nothing to do with it. A good contract stands on its own, not whether or not we “sufficiently waited” or not.
We have a new MEC, new negotiators, multiple pending JVs and one of our scope experts jumping to management. We haven't even exchanged openers. We have no idea where UAL will end up or if they can do some heavy lifting for the industry this time.
If you think time is irrelevant, you don't appreciate what all would have to be accomplished in the next 12 months to have a final agreement in that time. I wouldn't trust such a rushed deal to be favorable for pilots, particularly if the pending JVs we know about weren't finalized also or first. As someone with decades left, I personally also see the continuing flood of new Delta pilots as a good thing. Prioritization of long-term gains over short-term ones is more likely with an increasing percentage of the list having to contemplate the long view. Our leverage increases with the training squeeze that has been discussed for years but won't really begin for another year or two.
If the perfect deal were ready to sign by December 19, I'd sign it. There's just no way (IMHO) we'll have a great contract ready by then and I'm glad that Wall Street is being given realistic expectations about negotiations.