One thing that is interesting in looking at all this is the difference in the types of 'retirements' that the different carriers have and how the president is affected by them. DAL has no retirement other than the DC contribution, whereas FDX has a DB. I got accused of sour grapes or some other crap over on the UAL board for posing the question that started all this, but what it did make me do was to look a little harder at the pay and bennies of the upper echelon ALPA guys. 100 hours at the highest blended rate of the biggest carriers. Damn. And 5% per year retirement to boot. Seems excessive to me, but I didn't negotiate it and had no say.
Anyway,
By NOT granting a LOA to DePete, has FDX changed the paradigm of ALL carriers going forward? If I were DAL management, I would certainly not grant an LOA anymore. Why would you? Now you have a non-employee running the airlines largest union. While it is true that very few if any former heads have returned to the line, by forcing his retirement you have now assured that he has no vested interest anymore. So he is little more than a hired gun. I hear the argument every contract negotiations that we need professional negotiators. Well.... does that apply here?