Ferd,
I agree with what you say and after reading this NW MEC information I can see why. Is it just me, or are they going a little overboard with the "Hey we didn't do anything wrong, the DAL guys are trying to screw us , and Lee Moak is the Devil."
Scoop
From the NWA MEC Communications Committee 28 April 2008:
"The announcement of the Northwest-Delta merger has created speculation about the events that led up to the decision of the two Boards of Directors to go ahead with the merger without the agreement of the Northwest pilots. Much of the information found in the news media and on the web boards is incorrect and does not accurately represent the current situation or the path leading to our position today.
Your MEC will begin a series of road shows starting this week that will give our pilots considerable detail and factual information in regard to the process. In an effort to reduce some of the misinformation and speculation, we are providing the following series of Q & A focusing on the most frequently discussed issues about the exploratory process with Delta Management and DAL pilots.
Q: Is it true that Delta ALPA tried to get in touch with NWA ALPA the week prior to the announced merger and was unable to reach our representatives?
A: Absolutely not. At least two MEC Officers were in the office the entire week and all three were available and in touch with each other via email, text messaging and cell phone. In addition, the two Negotiating Committee Chairmen exchanged emails and spoke to each other during that period.
Q: The Delta MEC Chairman has stated that the Delta Team started in the middle with their seniority list integration presentations. Does our Merger Committee agree with this assessment?
A: No, the NWA MEC Merger Committee believes that the initial relative seniority proposal from the Delta team was overly simplistic and substantially advantaged the Delta pilot group. The goal of the process is to create a “fair and equitable” solution to the problem of integrating two seniority lists. A relative seniority list that looks great graphically on the day after the merger begs some questions: are the pilot demographics so perfectly matched that, as future attrition occurs, the list will continue to look great? Are the jobs of the two airlines so relatively equal that the awarding of positions will be equitable? If Delta had decided to merge with a smaller airline like Alaska Airlines, does anyone really believe that they would be advocating a relative seniority methodology? The NWA Merger Committee has sought to address these and other issues to achieve a list which is fair to both groups.
NWA MEC Just The Facts April 28, 2008
Q: It has been reported that the proposed Delta seniority list protected the future of all pilots at both Northwest and Delta. Does the NWA merger committee agree with this assessment?
A: The NWA Merger Committee does not agree with this assessment. We will not short any pilot, Northwest or Delta, on his career expectations. The Delta Merger Committee presented a “sound-bite” proposal stating that the combined seniority list has to look good on day one and on day two. With no apparent analysis or justification beyond that, they tried to convince us that the results would be fair into the future. The most elementary consideration of the underlying facts led us to a different conclusion; that the operation of their proposal would quickly create a job transfer to the Delta pilots. Perfection may not be an attainable goal, but simplicity, with no regard to how the result distributes the jobs among the pilots in the future, will not achieve a fair result.
Q: I heard that the Delta pilot group received more information during the merger exploratory process. Is this correct?
A: No. The Delta MEC has operated under the same confidentiality restrictions as we have. Our efforts to keep you informed are detailed below. Thirty-eight Hotlines have been put out from the beginning of 2008 to the announced merger date on April 14, 2008 and two additional ones have followed. Four press releases have gone out since January 2008 to the media along with many other prepared statements to the press. Eight Ziplines have been emailed to the pilot group, along with more than three memos, from the beginning of the year. In addition, a press conference was held which answered many questions and was put on the NWA MEC website and links were given in a Hotline for easy access. Due to confidentiality agreements and regulations, information was generated as quickly as possible without hampering the exploratory process.
Q: Were the negotiations terminated by the Northwest team or the Delta Team?
A: Negotiations between Delta management, the Delta MEC, and the Northwest MEC had produced a new joint contract in February. Negotiations between the two pilot groups over a joint seniority list were broken off in March when the DAL pilots walked away. The Delta MEC then negotiated their new interim Letter #19 with Delta management. Negotiations on a joint contract and seniority list are expected to resume in the near future.
Q: Were deadlines established with respect to the merger announcement date?
A: Since we started this process, Delta management and Delta ALPA have controlled the timeline. They set numerous deadlines beginning in January, all of which were false. They then negotiated interim Letter #19 in advance of the merger announcement date without ever involving Northwest ALPA in those negotiations.
NWA MEC Just The Facts April 28, 2008
Q: Was the Northwest Exploratory Team told that if we did not want to join the negotiations the Delta MEC would act alone?
A: No. We were not offered the opportunity to join the negotiations in April which led to interim LOA #19. We were involved in negotiations for a joint contract in January and February. The Delta MEC Chairman told the NWA ALPA leadership in January that for Delta pilots to support a merger, a pre-merged joint contract and negotiated seniority list had to be accomplished. This position was reversed on April 2 when we were informed that the Delta MEC was going to negotiate a separate contract for the Delta pilots only and they would not oppose the merger. On April 13, the day before the merger announcement, Delta management informed us that they had decided to deal only with the Delta pilots because there was not enough time to also involve us.
Q: Was there time for Northwest ALPA to join a negotiation for a joint contract?
A: Yes. Remember, we had already negotiated one in February. There were some changes in economics the Delta management wanted to make; hard decisions perhaps, but not complicated. Delta management spent nearly two weeks negotiating with Delta ALPA over interim LOA #19, but never tried to engage with Northwest ALPA.
Q: What was our role in the bilateral negotiations between Delta ALPA and Delta management?
A: Virtually none. On April 8, the Delta MEC Chairman called to propose a three year harmonization for Northwest pilots to Delta pay rates. We rejected the concept. On April 13 we suggested to Delta management, in our only meeting with them since February that we conduct joint contract negotiations to begin immediately. This suggestion was rejected.
Q: Had the situation been reversed, would the NWA MEC leadership have done the same thing as the Delta MEC?
A: Absolutely not. Maximum leverage to obtain the best possible contract comes from a united effort by the two pilot groups. For their own reasons, the Delta MEC chose to make a deal only for themselves, a lesser agreement than the previously negotiated joint contract.
Q: What is the position of the Delta MEC on seniority list arbitration?
A: After we negotiated a joint contract in February, it became clear that the seniority issues would be difficult to resolve. We suggested that an agreement be reached on an expedited negotiation/arbitration process so that the list could be finished by the merger effective date. The merger could then be announced immediately. The Delta MEC refused. After further seniority list negotiations in March, we again made this suggestion. Again, the Delta MEC refused.
NWA MEC Just The Facts April 28, 2008
In April, the Delta MEC and Delta management agreed to LOA #19 and the merger was announced. The Delta MEC is now in favor of expedited arbitration of the seniority list if further negotiations are not productive. This agreement leaves the Northwest pilots working under a lesser economic contract. It appears that Delta management and the Delta MEC continue to think that by denying Northwest pilots the economic benefits of the merger, the Delta pilots will get a better seniority list.
Q: Why has the NWA MEC opposed the merger as it currently stands and would you consider this to be perceived as a confrontational position?
A: The MEC opposes the current merger for two reasons: 1) the merged company will not achieve all the available synergies from the merger without a joint contract and a joint list, 2) the Northwest pilots will be disadvantaged in obtaining a joint contract and potentially in the seniority list integration process. The current process is highly likely to recreate the USAirways-America West merger environment and if Northwest pilots are not brought to immediate parity with Delta pilots, our pilot group may be put on a “B-Scale” for years. Your leadership does not view this opposition as confrontational, but rather as a stand for a joint contract that will enhance the careers of NWA pilots.
Q: What has been the Northwest MEC approach to this process?
A: We have taken a positive approach from the beginning of the exploratory merger phase and have worked cooperatively with the Delta MEC and Delta management. We accomplished a complete joint contract in February and were also making progress on the seniority list integration. We are disappointed that an agreement was not made on a seniority list, but we have taken the high road, the positive approach, at every turn – including offering an expedited arbitration to handle unresolved issues.
Q: Has there been any discussion about resuming negotiations for a single joint contract with full parity and a joint seniority list?
A: Yes, but dates have not yet been set."