Originally Posted by
seekingblue
lots to unpack here….
I think it’s safe to say you and I are on very different sides of this vote. Not trying to change your mind or your viewpoint, but rather give you insight into the mind of a yes voter. Despite 47% of us voting yes, very few of us actually are willing to be public about it.
My few points to give everyone insight into my thought process-
1) why do you consider this LOA a back stabbing for selfish reasons? Aren’t all our gains selfish? Isn’t it selfish that I want the highest pay possible? Look— I wanted this LOA to pass for one specific reason: growth. More airplanes, more pilots, more block hours— with added protections to not roll back numbers. Selfish or not, this is good for us as a pilot group. More upgrades, more new hires, and more VDA’s if that is your thing.
2) several of you have stated we are handing over scope “for essentially nothing.” First off, it was a limited agreement that the union can still quash after 5 years. Still no RJ’s in JetBlue paint. I respect your position, but I think scope is a trigger word for many of you. I’d invite you to look at the risks given the wording, the extent scope is being given away, and the union’s ability to take back said scope.
3)I’m sorry you felt “demoralized” by my voting yes. I assure you, I voted yes for the same reason you voted no— I want what is best for the pilot group.
I appreciate your candid response SBlue. You seem like a very decent guy, and I respect your opinion...however much I disagree with it. Let me start out by saying the backstabbing portion of my comment wasn’t necessarily geared towards this LOA. Just a general comment based on observation over the years. Although, ‘selfish reasons’ would easily apply to this LOA. Reference the old timer on the previous page who clearly doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Obviously the dude has been beaten down by this industry. I’m not saying I condone that thought process, but I get it. Your number 3 we can agree on I guess. We both want what’s best for the pilot group.
I’m going to do my best to sum up my thoughts. Weeks before this vote took place, the whole landscape of the recovery was changing. Go read my comments before this vote. New admin who had the support of the Senate and the House; we knew big stimulus packages were on the horizon. Vaccines were being rolled out in mass numbers. Domestic lockdowns were starting to end. The spring and summer expectations were changing rapidly. Bookings were skyrocketing.etc etc. Recovery and growth were happening without the AA deal. Now, the AA deal was going to add 20-25% additional growth. Great. But the company needed scope relief to achieve it. And they wanted it bad. That’s called leverage. It’s not personal; it’s just business. Instead our MEC handed it over for a 2% raise, completely useless furlough protection, and some vague bullish!t Flica usage promise.
Imo, this deal is going to happen. It’s just a matter of what we can get for it, and my ask is a heck of a lot more than what’s been offered. I sent in my survey with what it would take for me. I hope y’all did the same. Some are hard No’s on scope period. I get that. I just don’t think that’s realistic at this point.
This seems like a roadmap to a merger honestly. I have no basis for that....purely tinfoil hat theory. I hope I’m wrong.
Lastly, what I think has ****ed me off more than anything about our MEC is their inability or unwillingness to look back and see where they possibly made some mistakes. Mistakes I can handle; the inability to recognize and learn from them I can’t. I don’t know if it’s ego, arrogance, stupidity, or a combination of the three. I do like where the 191 council is headed. Seems like it’s divided between them and the rest now. Hope they can collectively come together and get the best possible deal for us.
I have much more to say, but I’m just gonna leave it there. Again, I appreciate your respectful tone seekingBlue.