Originally Posted by
dipstick
Add to that a retirement medical plan that preserves the coverage you had while employed for a trivial fee. Add up how much of your retirement income you don't have to spend on medical, while also receiving better care and coverage.
I think I know the reason for that... AS has a *lot* of ex-military, the vast majority of whom will have Tricare by the time they retire. Those folks have no interest in spending negotiating capital on something they'll never use.
Not saying screw the non-mil guys, but you get a whole lot more broad support for something like hourly rate increases which help everyone equally (and can be applied to medical plans if you need it).
That might change over time, fewer mil people per capita these days, and also newer folks don't have a pension to fall back on.