According to the Swapa call yesterday, the company admits it needs all available crew to meet the January schedule with the new destinations and routes.
I don’t think the timing was arbitrary.
I suspect the timing on this has to do with the ultimatum having more impact if they waited until after UALs deal and the layoffs at the other majors, and rushing it through a vote before we realize the company can’t meet January’s schedule if they furlough.
This isn’t about survival, we have two year’s cash and are positioning ourselves to capitalize on the other carrier’s weaknesses. It’s about getting money from the employees and stacking up the various pools of money.
concession$ + furlough$ + potential bankruptcy$ + any other $ they can scheme = a lot of money. It’s the FH playbook.