Originally Posted by
jtf560
So far the IBBs/ IBIs are a huge success. The pilot group has made way more money than we ever would have if we had only opted for section 6. Each time we do one and extend the contract we are taking a risk that we won't get another IBI in a reasonable amount of time and it is possible that we come to regret it, but if we had never done the 2018 or 2020 versions, we would probably just now be coming into a new contract and we wouldn't have made the hundreds of thousands per person extra that have been made since the 2018 contract with the FDP. Maybe we will get the hose and the company stagnates or maybe we get another boost. Either way, I am happy with the money I've made that I wouldn't have without the last 2 contracts.
It is hard for me to argue against that, seeing as the gains were tangible but I do believe that if the hard work would have been put into section 6, proper pay and other section gains could have been achieved, it is just much harder work. But what is proper pay? NJA is too unique to really base its pay on any other company which makes it really hard. Honestly, who is to say whether NJA pilots are under or overpaid? Do you go by NBAA salary ranges? Do you take narrowbody airline rates? I said it years ago that FDP is great until it dries up. I thought it would just simply go away, and not manifest its self as only being lucrative with certain fleets, but in a way that is rearing its ugly head. True pay rate increases would have prevented this. It also would have not masked the schedule practices that simply threw money at the abuse and made it sting a little bit less. Real pay rate increases would have laid a much better foundation for negotiations now.