Interesting strategy by their MEC. They are using all of their leverage/contract costing on soft items knowing that the pay rates they are setting for the industry will be unacceptable to the pilots of other carriers. By having first mover status they now force the other pilot groups to spend the majority of their leverage/costing on setting an appropriate pay table, instead of scheduling/soft gains. So, they presumably will end up with both. Kind of eye opening, I never thought pattern bargaining could be used to influence and take advantage of other pilot groups. I always thought the target was the company in pattern bargaining.

Agree this would never pass at Delta.