Excellent question. Min balance was expensive up to a point and then dropped off to nothing. It was an idea that provided a bridge of a brand new contractual benefit (MBCBP) with an unheard of increase to the DC, most of which benefit the most junior pilots on the list. Pilots late in their careers generally want to see the pay increases. The gap was bridged through the min balance, which actually applies to every pilot, but those with 5-7+ years would have seen a greater accrual from the increased DC benefit than those with less than that time. That was all pre-covid and where we are today is different. Polling will be different and the demographic have shifted.

Interesting take from today's NN is that not only has vacation value surpassed all passenger carriers -- see the last graphic published by ALPA, but accrual has been accelerated, meaning that junior pilots will get to more vacation faster. While the value has gone up for everyone, junior pilots certainly get more of a benefit in this particular part of the contract. The point: negotiators and the MEC are trying to find a balance for all pilots in negotiations. Demographics are affected differently, some more obviously than others.

The world did not begin the day any single pilot was hired.