Originally Posted by
NotMrNiceGuy
***Full disclosure: When I use the Inflation calculator, it shows a cumulative inflation rate of 11.7% from 2020 to April 2022. However, my above numbers arrive at 13.9%. In other words, $15 too high. I don’t know why this is. Basically, the 2023 and 2024 numbers above are likely excessive by around $20 to $25.***
A large part of that is because you've taken the Jan 2019 pay raise (which should have covered inflation for 2019) and then added 1.8% for Jan 2019 to Jan 2020. I'd consider that to be double counting in 2019.
We'd all like a new contract that is well above the inflation rate, but with airlines continuing to post quarterly losses and the Fed needing to do major tightening to get inflation under control, this isn't the best economic environment to negotiate a new contract.
I won't speak for others, but for me, the nonpay portions of the contract are going to be what I look at the closest. My wife and I are in the bottom of the 37% marginal Federal tax bracket so any nonpay enhancements that save me post-tax dollars are worth a lot to me; for each dollar I save, it's worth a bit more than $1.50 in pre-tax wages.