Originally Posted by
NWA320pilot
Well as a 13 year NWA 320 FO here is my take on what has transpired. DAL needed contractual changes from their pilots. The DALPA negoitiated a LOA that improves the working conditions for its pilots. It also was able to extract a stake in the company, the way I see it is good for them! NWA didn't have the language that DAL had and so they were the ones who had a dog in that hunt. I personally think that if the shoes had been reversed NWA APLA would have done the same thing (or I would like to hope). I do not feel like DALPA went behind the NWA guys backs as they were the ones with a contract that needed changed in order to continue. I also feel that anything the DALPA got will eventually flow for the NWA pilots. So I see this as a plus not a negative. I would have loved for both sides to have come together and closed the differences 6 weeks ago but at least there was some gain on the working conditions we will all be under shortly.
Now that the merger is announced it is time for the DALPA and NWA ALPA to get back together and come to an agreement that benefits the entire pilot group as a whole. There are always going to be guys who feel screwed but hopefully the final product will benefit us all. Arbitration is never a good thing so hopefully it will not go down that path.
Yup. Lets just get a few beers eat some good food and work this crud out. I sorta like that commercial on TV with the firemen sitting in congress and just working all the "hard" issues out in like five seconds.
I for one really don't think that DALPA was out to screw anyone. They just set the bar a little higher for the next round. The union sent something out that also said that the combined pilot working agreement, that both NW and Delta have to work out with the company now that the two unions are going to combine, could take some time. The four years of this agreement simply gave a small contractual raise every year to keep us up with inflation during this period.
I think that as soon as we have a combined list, the NW guys will have the same bennies as the Delta guys. This is a good deal for all of us as long as the MEC's can work out the various seniority issues.
I hope that the mud slinging and the name calling are brief. The FU Delta stickers are not going to help by the way.
Slinky