Originally Posted by Nick Bradshaw

Cool story. You've held your breath, and stomped your feet and pitched a fit to that effect several times now. It's all about you you you. We boom er s need to get out of your seat and shut up and go away. We get it.

You and several others keep saying that it must go to a vote and your crystal ball says it will surely go down in flames. But what if I told you there won't be a vote? Play this scenario out:

Congress raises the mandatory retirement age to 67 (and our inside sources are telling us that the obstacles have been cleared and it's a done deal, expect a standalone FAA reauthorization bill in the senate late this month or early next month which Schumer and Duckworth have already endorsed). ICAO doesn't follow, and won't follow for quite some time, because they are always paralyzed by red tape. 65+ WBAs are now precluded from flying internationally, through no fault of their own. (That's completely unlike people who refuse to get a visa or got themselves a DUI, btw). The company will surely try some shenanegins to avoid paying us or to get us out of the seats. When they do, we file a a grievance. This puts ALPA in an awkward position since they unfairly and discriminatorily opposed 67, and most likely the first of the DFR suits for that will have already been filed against them (also in the works right now). ALPA always looks out for ALPA, and they don't want to cough up potentionally millions per affected pilot in the harm they caused abandoning us in that and abandoning the promised 4th pillar. Precedent has been set that the master chair can settle a grievance without using memrat. ALPA wants this problem to go away quick, so that's what they'll do. They'll negotiate us pay protection for our WBA seats, and there will be some giveback from the pilot group to pay for it. That will be a grievance settlement, and you won't get to vote on it. We'll be either sitting home if they choose to bypass us, or flying NBA at WBA rates for 2+ more years (expect a bill for age 70 or no limit next). Voila. We got our min balance and 4th pillar after all.

And why wouldn't you want that? James is right. Union of 1. You only care about what benefits you, and by god you aren't going to give something up that makes it fair for someone else. Fair only applies to you. Never mind that you'll have the opportunity to work 2+ more years at $500-$800K per year too. On a path we paved for you. But we know we won't hear a thank you and that's all right.