That's exactly my point; he's only serious if we're willing to roll over and accept current book, with maybe a few limited-cost scraps baked in. Every CEO since the dawn of negotiations has said the exact same thing. For some reason the noobs always fall for it, get impatient, and then give up cash and work rules because they want to hurry up and get a deal done. After all, they need that signing bonus!

Next, the CEO runs to the board and tells them how awesome he/she is because, "even though our costs have increased somewhat with the new contract(s), the <insert labor group here> realized that our plan ensures that we'll be better positioned to compete and expand our market share moving forward, thereby ensuring our continued profitability while providing sustainable* futures for our co-workers." (Translation: "we're paying less than Delta for more productivity.")

Honestly, I forget how many contracts we've had since I've been here, but they all track the same as I've outlined above. This will be my last one and I would seriously love it if, just this one time, I would be proved wrong.

*This word must be included in all press releases and public remarks.