Before the contract the B6 pilots got guaranteed min. 5 percent profit sharing upfront along with all the other employees. The pilots lost this and instead got the 8 percent raise and 5 percent extra added to their 401k money the company contributes (which is now 15 percent, and higher/better than the other groups).

The OTHER employees kept the guaranteed 5 percent profit sharing payout but did not get the higher 401k contributions the pilots got (so they are in effect getting a 5 percent 401k match + a 5 percent 401k contribution through what you call "the cliff" so 15 percent 401k contribution for pilots vs. 10 percent for everyone else).

Also the company used this opportunity to roll the customary and scheduled pay review and raises for the other work groups into this calculation. So for example, the FAs got closer to a 18 percent raise spread out over 2 years (12 percent the first year and 5 percent the 2nd, not 8% like you say) to compensate them for the lower profit sharing formula. The thing is, via company policy they were due for that raise anyways because they had fallen way behind peers and would of gotten it anyway. The company though saw a opportunity to use the raise they were already due, to claim they were doing the FAs a favor and giving them the money guaranteed and upfront via the raise and taking away the uncertain and unguaranteed profit sharing.

So it was in the end just a shell game and sugar coated in hopes the other groups would not unionize. It partially did not work and the FAs followed the pilots into Unionization a year later. The rampers/gate agents have so far not, and they truly got cheated out of their regular raise by having to pay for their own raise via a profit sharing claw back concession.

What is Alaska pilot 401k matches and company contribution?