Originally Posted by
Forgotmyhat
To me, the first appalling moment in this mess was not the reneging on the SILs (although that was the catalyst in unifying the pilots), but the fact that the union so easily folded when the company first asked for help.
The company had stonewalled us for nearly a year during section 6 negotiations, asking for arbitration early because they didn’t want to play with us anymore. They were literally (okay...figuratively) spitting in our faces the whole time. And then they come begging to rebid the April schedule and the MEC says “sure go ahead”. What we got in return is irrelevant. They MEC and NC absolutely folded at the first sign of turbulence after a year of being made to look like fools. My jaw dropped when they announced that deal. And this was before the company reneged on the SILs!
I can understand your frustration. Personally, I didn't see it as folding; I saw it as negotiating in good faith in the face of an economic catastrophe our industry hadn't seen before.
We have the high ground. We've been in the right all along, and I'm proud of my reps. The company stonewall before COVID19 was to be expected, and they have shown their true true colors. Management has mostly galvanized this group and in the end I think that is to our advantage.
What I lost in the April rebid was partially offset by our contractual gains, and partially offset by our current negotiating position (that I actually think is pretty strong, all things considered). We also have good standing should we find ourselves in front of a BK judge or arbitrator. Of all the places we could be amidst a global pandemic, I think DALPA has us appropriately positioned.