Just me, but when I'm conflicting a trip (or get Bumped for Training), I'm enjoying my time off.

Shoot, past 2 months I've dropped\given away about 40CHs.
Barring a year 1 or 2 employment longevity, if you can't live on 50% of your BLG....you've got a spending problem and you're truly not ready for Contract Negotiations.
If you're going insane over the recent inflation levels and the fact that we're not perusing a TA yet (May was the goal, which is what, 6 months past our amendable date?)
Then you're truly not ready for Contract Negotiations.

Is your personal goal a Fast TA or the Right TA?

A TA will eventually happen. And when it does, please, please....read it, think about it. Take the time to search out the Pros and Cons. Consider the things that will have improved as well as the things that didn't change (or perhaps even declined, International Hotel $$ worsened in TA2015. Some of the old Subic guys were frequent visitors of Vacation Destinations on Company $$. Something that only increased in frequency when HKG opened up. And that was something the Company went after. It's one thing to pay for a few people to hit a 5 star resort, another when lot's of people do so)