I don't know that I'd call this TA a "turd," but it is substantially less than we could achieve in terms of rates, work rules, benefits, vacation, retirement, etc given the current environment. Historically, the only real weapon management in airline pilot disputes has had avaialable to it to combat the credible threat of a legal strike from labor (us) is the use of scabs. In other times, that has been a very real and very potent deterrent to the ability of pilot groups to pose the credible threat of a legal strike. In this environment, it's simply not feasible that the company could recruit enough scabs to counter the credible threat of a legal strike. In five years, it might again be very feasible. The window is open for us now. In five years, it very well may not be.

I'm a no vote because I know that if we turn this thing back, the gains we could attain would not be marginal gains. If SWAPA and the pilot group played their RLA hand correctly, the gains we could achieve would be substantial - even "generational." That's the power we have available to us THIS cycle. Our power to achieve massive gain may be greatly curtailed next cycle.

Unfortunately, while the company's only REAL threat to us is that of scabs, what has proven to be their most POWERFUL threat to us achieving a "life-changing" contract is our collective ignorance of the power we could wield. It's simply sad that 99% of pilots don't take a couple of days once in the span of their 20-to-40-year careers to do a deep-dive into the law and case history that determines so much of their quality of life both on the day-to-day level and in the long-term.

So many on these forums talk about not being "sheep." They like to think of themselves as "lions not lambs." They talk about how they don't listen to the MSM - how they're "independent thinkers." But when it comes to the process of forging a new contract, since they don't know any better, since they never put in the hard work of learning the subject, since they're not willing to delay gratification, like sheep, they allow themselves to be guided by the allure of easy answers and charismatic leaders." It's kind of the opposite of what James Madison once said, "And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." It's more like believing that plants thrive on Brawndo because "it's got electrolytes" despite the obvious crop failures.