Originally Posted by
Vsop
To the post about the NMB releasing into self help:
I know a few carriers have been released/locked out, but by in large it is a tall mountain to climb. I worked for Pinnacle. We went 7 years past our amendable date with a far below average contract. We took a strike vote 86% turned out to vote greater than 99% in favor of striking. Some here might still have their “99%” bag tags. At that time we had approximately 1200 pilots and flew mostly for NorthWest our small Delta network might have just started. We were deemed too important to allow into self help.
A few years after that strike vote and 1 failed TA, Pinnacle purchased Mesaba from Delta following the NWA merger. The company wanting to combine the air carrier certificates was the leverage to finally realize a contract.
There are many pilots at Delta that came from Pinnacle and through that prolonged negotiation. Most of us have a fairly cynical/pragmatic view of the process. I hope that this negotiation will go more smoothly, but I think we need more leverage than we have to achieve a contract that would pass a vote.
I would add, pinnacle was parked from negotiations, pre-mesaba merger, because the "no" voting reps sabotaged their own TA in writing and in person. The NMB felt that was dirty pool, and punished the entire group.
The contract after the merger was the mesaba contract extended to the other two carriers and we negotiated a little better deadhead for ourself. Pinnacle reps were brought up to speed on our contract, and while unhappy, they knew they were either going to take our industry leading pay or watch us force our contract onto Colgan.
Cue the "but the health insurance" in 5...4...3...2..